Always Look Forward
by BregoBeauty
Summary: [Sequel to I May Have To Steal You] It didn't matter that he hurt her, because no matter what, she still loved him... JacksonLisa
1. Prologue

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Summary:** Sequel to "I May Have To Steal You" After five years of peace, the company is after Lisa and Jackson. Unlike the first time they had to run, they now have to worry about their twins and try to keep the past hidden from them. Jack seizes the chance to come back and Lisa may have to resort to drastic measures to save herself and the twins. It's only a matter of time before the company finds them or Jack takes over for good. Which one is worse?

**Prologue**

Life was hectic for Lisa and Jackson Rippner. Raising the twins was a tough job on both them, resulting in many little fights and a near reappearance of Jack. But as long as their fledgling family was safe, Jack stayed in the past where he belonged.

At least that was what happened—until the night a pact was broken. The night that their lives were shattered and the Rippners were forced to run once more. Five years of peace ended in one fiery moment.

Five years without Jack.

Everything fell apart within a few moments. Lisa began to doubt Jackson, Jackson began to plan once more, the twins were thrown into an unknown danger, and they ran. Jack came back with the intent of killing Lisa…

And Lisa swore never to let the monster inside her beloved husband hurt her children.

**Author's Notes:**

This is the revised prologue.


	2. Chapter One

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter One**

It had been a peaceful five years since anyone had tried to kill the Rippners. Life was easier on them both even though they both knew very well that Jackson wished someone would try, just so that he could kill them. Jack had stayed away for those five years and they were grateful for it. Their children had not a clue as to what their parents' past was like and Lisa intended to keep it that way until they were much older.

"Mommy!" cried Henrietta in joy as Lisa entered the front door after work.

"Hey sweetie," Lisa said with a smile, as she bent down to hug her daughter. "Where's daddy and JR?"

"I don't know," shrugged the five-year-old, her blue eyes sparkling. Both the twins ended up with blue eye and Jackson's dark hair, though Henrietta had more curl. Both their children looked an awful lot like Jackson—which pleased them both.

"Jackson?" called Lisa, pulling Henrietta close to her. "JR?"

An explosion sounded outside the clean home. Henrietta screamed in fear.

"It's okay, just stay close to mommy," whispered Lisa, as she stood up and slipped a gun from one of her many hiding places. "Everything's going to be fine."

Lisa clicked the safety catch off on the gun and began to examine the house. She took extra care to keep Henrietta by her side as she searched for JR and Jackson. In the midst of her search, a hand clamped over her mouth as she cautiously passed an open closet door in the bedroom that she shared with Jackson. She froze and heard a familiar voice whisper, "Don't do it, Leese."

"Jackson?" she whispered in relief.

"It's me. Come on," he pulled her and Henrietta inside the closet. "Don't worry, Leese, JR's here as well."

"Thank god."

"I'm not stupid."

"What's going on then? I thought we were finished with this! What is happening?" demanded Lisa, hands upon her hips, still clutching the gun.

"I don't know, but you three are getting out of here," Jackson whispered in Lisa's ear. "We're no longer safe."

"Mommy? Daddy? What's going on? Are we playing hide-and-seek?" questioned JR; a miniature Jackson in looks and often times actions.

"Yeah," said Jackson with a smile as he turned to face the twins. "We're playing hide-and-seek. Now daddy's it, so go hide with mommy."

The twins gave little fake shrieks of terror and grabbed Lisa's hands. "No peeking," she told Jackson, playing along with the game he had created. If the children believed it was a game, they were less likely to be frightened.

"1…2…3…" Jackson began counting after covering his eyes.

"Come on!" Lisa urged the twins, holding fast to their hands as she led the way to one of the many escape routes in the house. This one led straight outside, where they could either dash across the street to Joe Reisert's house, or take one of the two BMWs parked outside.

"Are we going to go hide at grandpa's?" questioned Henrietta.

"Um, sure. Let's go hide at grandpa's house," Lisa said, hurrying them across the street as she heard yet another explosion.

She did not bother to look and see where it was. All that mattered was getting her children to some type of safety. She had not seen any danger when she was at the house, but Jackson knew something was wrong. He had been alerted by something. But why now? Why after five years of nothing?

Who was after them? What were their intentions?

"Lisa? Henrietta? JR? What?" questioned Joe in surprise when JR and Henrietta rang the doorbell, Lisa standing behind them and looking around.

"We're playing hide-and-seek with daddy!" cried JR joyfully.

"Well then you better hide," Joe warned them with a smile. He could tell by the concerned look on Lisa's face that there was something going on.

The twins scampered off, heading for their favorite hiding spots. Joe ushered Lisa inside and carefully closed the door behind her.

"Is _he_ back?" Joe asked Lisa. He knew that she understood what he was asking about.

"No, at least I don't think so."

"What's going on then?"

"I don't know, dad," said Lisa with a loud sigh. "I come home from work and JR and Jackson are hiding. 'Etta's waiting for me and I nearly kill Jackson when he grabs me from behind. Luckily, he warned me ahead of time that it was him."

"Do they have a clue?"

"None. And it needs to stay that way."

A third explosion sounded; the loudest of them all and Joe's house seemed to shudder at it. Lisa peered out the window, looking at her house, or what remained of it.

"Jackson!" she cried in horror.

Joe frowned and then looked out the window as well. The Rippners' house was totally destroyed. Something had set off one of Jackson's protection systems and blown the house to bits. Someone had been there and someone had possibly killed Jackson.

Lisa flew out the front door and raced across the street. She passed both cars in the driveway and began to pick her way through the rubble.

"Jackson! Jackson! Where are you? Are you hurt? Jackson!" Lisa called as she blindly searched the scattered remains. Not only was their home gone, but so was the fragile protection that they had placed upon their lives. Nothing would ever be the same again. Everything was going to change now.

**Author's Notes:**

A semi-short chapter, but longer than the prologue! The next chapter should be up soon! Enjoy!


	3. Chapter Two

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Two**

Jackson had been on high alert for almost a week. A threat had been mailed to him—one which he had refused the heed the warning of—and he stepped up the security measures while Lisa worked, as a precaution. He wanted to tell her, but was afraid of how worried she would be because of the twins. When they had problems with threats previously, they had never had to worry about two young kids. Henrietta and JR were not to be exposed to the same amount of danger and running that had consumed Jackson and Lisa's lives for so long.

The Rippners would not back down and run unless they absolutely had no other choice.

It was on a hunch that Jackson had hidden with JR that evening. He knew how Lisa would react when she came home and he needed her to react that way. Lisa had no qualms with carrying or using a gun—even around the kids. Anyone who was perceived as a threat would be shot on the spot by Lisa, who would do almost anything to protect her family. She was extremely vicious when it came to protecting her kids. Lisa would have attacked and shot _him_, when he spooked her.

He knew better than to sneak up behind Lisa, yet he did it anyways. Some small part of him enjoyed the fear that he could feel prickling up and down her spine and rushing through her veins when he grabbed her. It was almost worth having her hurt him. But Jackson was too quick for that. He told her that it was him, and she immediately relaxed and stopped trying to sense his weak points that would allow her to attack. Lisa was determined to never be a victim again.

Jackson loved his feisty Lisa.

The two explosions confirmed his hunch. There was someone or a group of people, trying to break through his defenses, thereby detonating the tiny warning bombs. That meant he only had a few minutes to get his family out of their house and to safety. But where could they go? Lisa did not know about the safe houses he had set up and everyone who tried to kill them knew about Joe's house and would look there first for the fleeing Rippners.

There was no time to waste though. They had to get out of the house before the final security system set itself off.

That's why he convinced the kids it was a game. Whatever helped Lisa get them out of there and hopefully to safety was fine with him. He would take it from there with the intruders. He followed them from the closet, and drew his KA-BAR.

He watched Lisa lead the twins to safety when he heard the tell-tale sound of intruders searching for them. He slipped against a wall and waited for the best moment to strike. Once the two men in suits passed his hiding spot, Jackson jabbed the closest man in the back with the blade before withdrawing it to slice the other man's throat. He double-checked that both men were dead before the sound of a loud click filled his ears.

Someone had set off the timer to the main security bomb.

Jackson ran for the nearest exit and escaped the house just as the explosion occurred. The blast threw him away from the house and into a bush, before he cracked his head on the hard ground and passed out. As long as Lisa, Henrietta, and JR made it away; it did not matter what happened to him.

* * *

Lisa continued her futile search through the rubble. She passed two dead bodies, but neither of them was Jackson. It was hard to believe that their beautiful home was destroyed. Where were they going to live now?

A moan caught her attention and she headed towards the dust-covered body lying in the remains of the entrance hall. The gun shook ever so slightly in her hands as she examined the body.

"Jackson?" she asked quietly, noting a resemblance between the person on the floor and her missing husband.

Lisa knelt down beside the injured man and turned his face towards her enough to get a good look at him. Her hopeful face fell and she backed up a long ways before firing a single round into the man's head. The man had not been Jackson, but another killer.

"Mrs. Rippner, what a pleasant surprise," said a loud, booming voice from behind, causing her to jump.

"Get away from me!" she screamed at the businessman wearing a fresh, expensive suit stepped towards her, the blade in his hand reflecting the remnants of sun. She could tell that he had not been in the blast by looking at the state of his clothes.

"Nice shot," said the man, still advancing, as he pretended to admire her shot.

"What is it that you want?"

"Asking for a job with Rippner's help is pointless, so how about you? You come and help me carry out some hits and I'll let your kids go. If you behave, you might even be allowed to visit them. Sound good?"

"No," growled Lisa. "I will never work for anyone. I will never leave my family!"

"But you already have. You left them to chase your husband, who's conveniently managed to vanish. You don't have a family unless you come with me."

"Jackson!" cried Lisa in desperation. "Jackson! Henrietta! JR!"

"They're not going to respond, Mrs. Rippner," said the man with a sinister smile. "Come with me and you get a chance to save them."

Lisa was starting to cry. She did not want to believe this man. JR and Henrietta still thought that they were playing hide-and-seek with their daddy. They were not being held hostage somewhere as leverage. Jackson had escaped the house and he would come for them. She had to stay strong to save her family.

"No, I don't," she stated firmly as she pulled the trigger several times in quick succession.

She watched the body fall to the ground beside the man who she had shot earlier. Satisfied that they were both no longer threats to her safety, Lisa continued on. Everything was dusty and the air was thick and it was hard to breathe.

"I think the security system worked," joked Jackson, bitterly and with a slight rasp.

"Jackson!" Lisa turned around and enveloped him in a hug. Jackson kissed her passionately for a moment, as a way of expressing his relief at her being alive.

"You okay, Leese?" he asked after breaking the kiss, holding her chin in his hand.

"Yes, but I don't know about the twins. A man—he threatened me…" Lisa sobbed into his jacket, her tears washing some of the dust away as he pulled her close.

"It's okay," soothed Jackson, rubbing her back. "Where did you take them? Across the street?"

"Yes," was her muffled reply.

"Well then, let's go look for them," Jackson whispered, steering her towards the street. "We'll take the car."

Jackson's silver BMW was covered in dust, but psychically unharmed from the explosion. He opened the passenger door for Lisa before heading around to the other side. The car started and Jackson expertly spun it around and pulled in Joe's driveway.

"I'll get them. You stay here with the doors locked," ordered Jackson, his tone semi-businesslike.

Jack was starting to reappear. Lisa could tell just by looking at him and by his voice. He was starting to slip.

Lisa nodded in understandment, and watched him enter the house. He returned a few minutes later, JR and Henrietta in tow and a worried Joe on his heels. The dark-haired trip clamored into the car, as Lisa spoke to Joe through the rolled-down window. She was too tired to get out of the car and did not want to bring Jack out of Jackson in front of everyone.

It was only a matter of time before Jack struck again.

And she would be damned if she let it happen around her kids.

**Author's Notes:**

The beginning of the chapter back-tracks to see Jackson's side before moving on where it left off. Sorry if it is confusing. The next chapter should be up soon! Enjoy!


	4. Chapter Three

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Three**

Jackson drove towards one of the safe houses that he had set up recently incase they needed to hide. He would do whatever it took to protect his family. No one was going to hurt his Lisa ever again and no one would touch his precious children.

"Why are they after us?" Lisa questioned, once Henrietta and JR had fallen asleep in their car seats.

"I don't know," Jackson answered truthfully. He had not done anything lately to piss people off enough to attack his family.

"Are you sure that you didn't take any jobs behind my back?" inquired Lisa, wondering why after all of this time they had been left alone—only to be attacked without an apparent reason.

Jackson pulled the car onto the shoulder of the road and spun around in his seat, blue eyes flashing dangerously as he tightened a hand on her slender throat. His teeth were gritted and he had a menacing look about him.

"What did you say, Leese? I can't hear you," smirked Jackson, crushing her windpipe and feeling her writhe beneath his tight grip.

"Hi… Jack…" gasped Lisa.

"Bye, Leese," was his mocking reply as he tightened his hold again.

Lisa grasped her gun tightly and whacked him upside the head. Jack released her, knocked out by a well-placed blow. Her breathing slowly returned to normal as she allowed herself to relax. She tenderly touched the bump forming on Jackson's head. She hated that she had hurt him.

Jack was back. That was not Jackson, but Jack. Jack had attacked her. Lisa had no other choice but to fight back.

How was it until Jack took over fully? How long did she have until she might have to kill Jackson to save herself from Jack? How long until he harmed one of the twins who _could_ not fight back? How long before it was no longer safe around Jackson for good?

* * *

Jackson's world was spinning when he opened his crystal blue eyes.

"Don't move, _Jack_," hissed Lisa, venom apparent in her voice, as she leveled a gun at him.

"Leese?" he croaked, straightening up in an attempt to stop the spinning. "What's wrong?"

"You attacked me, Jack! You could have hurt Henrietta or JR!"

Ah, it was all becoming clear. Lisa had freed his manager side and he had lashed out.

_"'Fact: thinking when you should be acting will only make your head hurt...' I'm not making this up, Leese. It's all right here…" Jackson quoting the Dr. Phil book, while Lisa began to wake up from the head-butt._

"Lisa, put the gun down," hissed Jackson, a hand covering the painful bump upon his head. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why don't I believe it? Why do I feel like you're lying?" questioned Lisa, not lowering the gun or even shifting it. She kept it aimed steadily at his beating heart.

"Leese, why would I lie to you? You know that I would never hurt you."

"That's just it. _You_ wouldn't! But when Jack is in control, then you aren't you and you _would_ hurt me! You could hurt the twins! You have to control it!" sobbed Lisa, the gun now shaking. If her finger slipped on the trigger, the gun would fire, and shaking or not, she would most likely kill him.

"Mommy, what's going on?" called a sleepy-sounding Henrietta from the backseat. "Why is your gun pointed at daddy?"

"Sweetie, mommy's just having a little talk with daddy—nothing more. Go back to sleep," Lisa said sweetly, as she glanced back at her young daughter. Henrietta was too young to understand what she was doing and why.

Too late.

"Where are we?" questioned JR, yawning as his blue eyes popped open.

"We'll talk later," Lisa mouthed at Jackson, lowering her gun. He was not about to get off the hook. He was dangerous when Jack took over and she was not going to expose Henrietta and JR to that side of him. Jack would kill the twins as well as her.

Jackson nodded and turned around to face the twins. "Who wants something to eat?"

"Me!" shouted Henrietta and JR simultaneously.

"Okay then, I'll go find somewhere to eat," Jackson said with a smile, before he pulled the silver Beamer back onto the road.

"Yay!"

There was no denying how good Jackson was around them. He had shown that he could open his heart and love someone else besides Lisa. He loved them both equally, but there was no telling what Jack would do to them. As much as she loved Jackson, there was no way that Lisa would let Jack hurt her children. She would kill Jackson first—to stop Jack—before she let him hurt the twins.

Jackson would understand too. It was twisted, but it was true. Jackson would probably prefer a bullet to the head or heart before harming his beloved children.

* * *

"Great job, Leese, letting them see you!" Jackson hissed at her later that evening. They had stopped for some fast food before finishing the drive to the safe house. Lisa and Jackson had tucked Henrietta and JR in before heading to their room to continue their talk.

"It's not like they've never seen me with a gun before!"

"True, but they've never seen you point one at me before! Do you want them to know what's happening? Do you want me to tell them that people want us dead? Do you want them to hear about Jack?"

"No," sighed Lisa. "I don't ever want them to know."

Jackson sighed as well and ran his right hand through his long, dark hair. It was a bad situation no matter how they spun it.

"Well? What do you want to do? Run? Hide? What?"

"Do you know who's after us?" Lisa questioned, avoiding a reply. She just wanted them to be safe and she needed to know as much as she could about the situation.

"It's the company," Jackson admitted after a long pause. He had been holding it back long enough. Lisa needed to know.

Lisa's jaw dropped. "But they promised…"

"They think I'm plotting against them. They warned me to stop or else they would attack."

"Did you plot against them? Are they monitoring us?" Lisa asked, trying not to get upset. She did not need Jack to come back for a visit again so soon.

"They were watching us, yes. But I swear that I was not plotting. I don't do that anymore."

Lisa looked into his blue eyes. He did not look away or try to avoid her inquiring gaze. He seemed as upset by the situation as she was. He would not bring this upon them.

"I trust you," Lisa whispered, drawing closer to Jackson, closing the gap between them.

"What do you want us to do?"

"What should we do? We need to protect them."

"We'll have to separate most likely. I have to draw them away from you," Jackson told her, though he knew that the company would not be fooled. They knew what he would try. They knew everything about him and his methods. But they did not know what lengths he would go to in order to save his family. No one knew.

"Okay," sighed Lisa, resigned. She did not want to separate, but if it made them safer, than she would do it.

Two different screams sounded through the silent house.

"Henrietta! JR!" Lisa cried at once, as she recognized the screams. She went to run towards them, but Jackson grabbed her, pulled her back against his chest, and held her. She fought against his grip, sobbing.

"Lisa, it's going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine. We can't fall into a trap," he whispered in her ear. Her cries were breaking his heart, as the screams from his children had. They had to keep their heads. If they lost their logic, then Henrietta and JR were doomed. They had to stay strong and not make any foolish mistakes.

"Jackson!" she pleaded, harsh sobs wracking her body. "Please!"

"I'm so sorry, Leese," his voice rasped before a heavy object slammed into her skull, knocking her out.

Lisa's unconscious body fell back against him. He had not wanted to knock her out, but there was nothing else that he could do under the circumstances. He had a plan now and she could not ruin this one. Not this time…

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry that it took so long for me to update! Just to let everyone know, the prologue is going to be swapped for another version at some point this week. I just read it yesterday and I realized that it is extremely far off the mark and I'll be fixing that hopefully later today.


	5. Chapter Four

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Four**

A bleary-eyed Johnson looked up from the mess of papers lying spread upon his enormous wooden desk, when he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Yes?" he called out in greeting, though he did not particularly wanted to see anyone at the moment. Jackson Rippner had become more of a headache than he could have ever imagined and it was all because of the former manager that he was even in Miami to begin with.

"Um, Mr. Johnson, sir, we just got word about the Rippners," said a scared young man as he entered the office.

"And?"

"Jackson and Lisa Rippner have disappeared. No one knows how. A few men on the team could have sworn they heard her cry out, but no one could find any traces of them."

"What about the children?" Johnson inquired. This was certainly odd behavior coming from Jackson.

"We've got them. They were at the safe house."

"Thank you," said Johnson, as he waved the young man back out the door.

Who would have ever thought that Jackson Rippner would even have a family, let alone leave them to the mercy of the company? Why did he abandon his children? Where was Lisa Rippner? Was she following her husband or had Jackson killed her? Normally, a mother would never leave her children.

What was Jackson up to and why did it seem like he was willing to risk everything? Why did he let himself nearly get caught twice?

The Rippners had almost been history in the first attack. All four of them had been in the house when the first team of hit men went in. Then the bombs started going off and all of them escaped. Even Jackson managed to crawl away before the final explosion leveled their home.

They had been sitting ducks.

When Jackson drove away, beginning the hunt for real this time, he had allowed himself to be followed. A team had slipped a tracking device upon the undercarriage of the silver BMW and tracked him via the signal as well as following the car. The team had watched him stop the car on the shoulder and nearly strangle his wife in a fit of rage. They had seen her fight back and nearly shoot him in front of their children.

Something was amiss with Jackson Rippner. Even with all the information that he had on him, he still could not figure out what was wrong with the former manager.

Why, after all this time, had he decided to plan his revenge? Why wait so very many years? Why was he taking such risks with his life and his family's lives?

Johnson shifted through the papers upon the desk, trying to make some pattern or sense out of them. He had documentation of all his jobs, all the people he knew, files on his children and Lisa, the file on his half-brother John Roberts, and somewhere papers on his medical history and a psychological profile. There had to be something in those papers that would explain his behavior.

Jackson Rippner never did anything without a reason.

Johnson flipped open the file on Roberts and scanned it. Roberts had been a few years older than Jackson, yet never met the young man until he convinced him to become a manger. Jackson had at one time been his loyal associate, doing everything at his older half-brother's beck-and-call. Then Jackson snapped after a job and tried to kill Roberts.

In black-and-white, the reason for Jackson's behavior was becoming clear...

Jackson Rippner had murdered his parents on orders from his mentally disturbed half-brother.

Johnson shuffled through the papers, searching for Jackson's psychological profile. If Roberts was mentally disturbed and Jackson had been through trauma, then it was likely that Jackson had some metal and/or behavioral problems.

According to the psychological profile, Jackson Rippner showed signs of antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, and socipathy, along with a split personality that he referred to as 'Jack' or 'Jack the Ripper'. It appeared that the split personality held more of the disorders than Jackson himself did.

Interesting…

* * *

Jackson picked Lisa's limp body up and carried her out of the room and house through a secret passage. He was not going to let them be caught. It was bad enough that they had his children.

'Why do you care? You were going to kill them anyway…' whispered Jack.

"No," insisted Jackson. "I would never do that."

'Then why did you hurt her?'

No, this was not happening. Jack was not going to take control. He would not let Jack take control. Jack would kill Lisa and the twins.

'You don't need them in your life. Just kill them and return to your past. To your old life. You used to enjoy killing people…' Jack reminded him.

"No!"

_"You don't have to do this… any of this…" Lisa pleaded with Jackson._

'Just give in. It's only a matter of time. Would you rather her be awake or asleep when you kill her? Or do you want to kill your children first?'

No, he would never kill Lisa or the twins. He was not a killer. Jack was the killer, not him. He hated killing people. He had only done it to ease the pain after his parents' murder.

'Which you committed… And enjoyed… You enjoyed it as much as you enjoyed toying with her…'

"No! I will not kill Lisa!" Jackson screamed at himself. He loved her too much to harm her.

'It's only a matter of time…' Jack hissed.

Jackson sighed loudly. It was only a matter of time before Jack took over and Jackson was forced to watch himself kill her. Jackson sometimes was privy to Jack's crimes. Sometimes he blacked out and had not a clue what he had done. He hated losing control to his dark side. He hated losing to Jack.

But what else could he do?

**Author's Notes:**

Yep, Johnson's back and he's working with the company to find Jackson. Jackson's trying his best to not let Jack win, but he's losing the battle. Jack has a plan, which we'll find out soon… Next chapter coming soon! And the prologue has been replaced.


	6. Chapter Five

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Five**

It was drafty and dark.

Lisa blinked and blinked, trying in vain to clear her head and figure out where she was. She could hear Jackson pacing and muttering nearby. She resisted the urge to cry out to him. She had a sneaking suspicion that her headache was somehow related to her beloved husband. Had Jack attacked her?

"No!" Jackson yelled again. "I will not kill Lisa! I love her!"

"_You're pathetic," Lisa muttered._

Jack. Jackson was fighting with Jack. It was only a matter of time before Jack realized that she was awake and decided to kill her.

Lisa shifted slightly. Why was everything so dark? Where was she to begin with?

That's when she remembered the attack at their house and running. She remembered that Henrietta and JR were missing. She was their only hope of escaping the company with Jackson indisposed.

Jackson…. Her beloved Jackson… Why was he always fighting with Jack? Who was Jack—was he Jackson or a part of him? Was Jack the manager side or was it only Jackson? Was it Jackson who hurt her—or Jack?

"I won't kill her…" hissed Jackson's voice in the darkness.

'Yes, you will… You'll kill your lovely wife…' Jack replied, using a colder tone of Jackson's voice.

"Lisa! Run!" Jackson warned her. He was losing the battle with Jack.

Lisa slowly struggled to her sore feet, cursing her attire. Why couldn't she ever have to run in jeans and sneakers? What was it always heels and skirts? Oh well, she needed to run no matter what. Her children were in danger and she did not want to be caught by Jack. She hated having to leave Jackson alone to battle his inner demon, but she had no other choice.

"I… 2… 3…" whispered Lisa, before taking off into the darkness, headed away from Jackson's voice. She did not know where she was going, but she would eventually figure that out. All that mattered was escaping at the moment. Escaping from Jackson or Jack—whoever he was.

"Lisa!" Jackson yelled after her, his footsteps following hers.

Her heart began to beat faster. He was going to catch her. She was going to die. It was the red eye flight all over again.

Her hand brushed against cold stone, which fell away, throwing her out into the dark night. Lisa scrambled to her feet and took off again. She was not going to let herself be caught.

Silver shone in her eyes, reflected by the moonlight.

It was Jackson's car, parked outside the safe house that was anything but safe. She ran to it, and yanked the driver's side door open. The keys lay on the center console, where Jackson had tossed them earlier.

"Just in case," she whispered with a scoff, echoing Jackson's words.

Lisa inserted the key into the ignition and started the powerful engine up.

"Lisa!" a voice called from outside and she turned to see Jackson pounding on the door.

She jammed the lock button, locking her husband out. His blue eyes held a certain coldness to them—not emotion as they normally did. His long dark hair was mess, falling into his eyes. The corners of his mouth were turned ever so slightly into a twisted smirk as he grinned at her through the glass. This was not her Jackson.

"Lisa! Let me in! Goddamn it, Lisa! Let me in!" he yelled, voice raspy and harsh.

Lisa shook her head 'no'. Acting on an impulse, she put the car in reverse and hit the gas, zooming away from the crazy man who looked like her beloved Jackson but acted nothing like him.

Jackson fell to the ground, but quickly recovered and sprinted after her.

Fear grew in her brown eyes as she realized that he was not going to give up until he caught her.

"I'm so sorry, Jackson…" she cried as she backed the car into him, and then pulled away.

His blue eyes shot wide in pain and she watched him crumple to the dusty ground in her review mirror. She sobbed loudly now, crying for Jackson and her children.

A loud ringing caught her attention as she drove away, heading back towards the main part of Miami. It was a cell phone, ringing in her pocket.

Lisa frowned and bit her lip. Should she answer it?

She quickly whipped some of her tears away and pulled the phone from the pocket of the jacket. It was Jackson's jacket, which he had given her when they arrived at the safe house. That meant that it was Jackson's cell phone that was going off.

"Hello?" her trembling, unsure voice answered the phone.

"Mrs. Rippner, what a pleasant surprise," came a smooth voice on the line. The voice was familiar, yet Lisa could not place a name nor a face to it. "I was expecting Jackson to answer, not you."

"I'm sorry, but Jackson's a little busy at the moment," snapped Lisa, sensing that it was a man from the company. "Can I take a message?"

"Stop playing games with me, Mrs. Rippner. I saw your little stunt with the car. I must say that was a pretty cold-hearted move—running your husband over? Tsk, tsk…"

"Who are and what the hell do you want?" demanded Lisa, distraught. If Jackson had not been acting strangely, she never would have hit him. She tried not to hit him too hard—just hard enough to stop him.

"How about we start with what _you_ want? Hmm?"

That was strange. Usually they made demands. What was going on? Why did Lisa have a terrible feeling about this phone call?

"I want you to leave us alone for starters. I want my family back and I want us left alone. For the last five years, we've done nothing. Why start attacking us now?"

"Mrs. Rippner, I guess Jackson never told you…"

"Told me what?" snapped Lisa, knuckles turning white as her grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Jackson never told me what?"

"Your husband is mentally unstable. We need to bring him in. Help us catch him, Mrs. Rippner, help us stop him."

Lisa let out a harsh laugh. "Your idea of stopping people is by killing them…"

"And how many times have you come close to it? How many times have you almost put a bullet in him yourself?"

"I love Jackson."

Which was the truth. Lisa was madly, deeply in love with Jackson and she never wanted to hurt him. She understood that sometimes hurting him was necessary and he understood as well. That did not mean that she wanted him dead or that she would help for that matter.

"But what about 'Jack'? Let's talk about 'Jack', Mrs. Rippner," the smooth voice goaded her.

"Why do you care? Why do you care about Jackson? Why do you want my help?" Lisa questioned, shaken by his questions. A hit man would not go to all this trouble. If the company knew where she was, then why was she still alive?

"Mrs. Rippner, I just saw Jackson's psychological profile. Your husband is a very dangerous man. There is no way that we can just take him out. We need your help to catch him."

"What is wrong with my husband! What did you people do to Jackson!" screamed Lisa into the phone. The company had to have done something to him. Jackson was not an evil person; he was kind, caring, and loving.

"Jackson is deranged. We never did anything to him. It was most likely due to a trauma inflected by his half-brother…"

"Roberts," Lisa cut him off. The gravity of the situation was starting to sink in. She remembered when Roberts brainwashed Jackson and convinced him to attack her.

"Yes, Roberts conned him into murdering his parents. He went insane shortly afterwards and it says in my papers that Roberts was mentally unstable as well. Do you understand what I'm saying, Mrs. Rippner?"

"You're saying that Jackson's insane. That he's inhuman. That he's just like Roberts," Lisa replied, voice shaking. This could not be happening. Jackson was the sanest person she knew. He was in no way similar to the monster that was his half-brother.

"We know about your encounters with Roberts. We understand that you are inclined to not believe this information."

"After everything that you've done to me and to my family, I'm not going to willingly believe you… I won't believe you."

"Mrs. Rippner, did you wonder why Jackson dragged you away when we came for your children? Did you wonder why you were found so easily? Did you question anything about Jackson and his behavior lately?"

"I have a question for you: Why did you take my children?"

"Originally, we planned just to kill Jackson when we found out that he was plotting to pretty much expose us. So we gave him a warning because of our agreement. He ignored the warning and the plan was set in motion. The plan changed to include all four of you in the killing, not just Jackson, to prevent any revenge."

"You were going to kill my children? They're innocent five-year-olds!" Lisa raged into the cell phone. She was starting to like this man less and less.

"I understand this, but the plan was foiled when your husband snuck all of you out and blew the house up. He waited and risked all of your lives. Then when we were able to follow you, I knew something was wrong. You see, Mrs. Rippner, Jackson never does anything without a reason."

"So Jackson wanted us to be caught? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes. The situation is out of our control. There is no way that we could just kill him. Even if we managed to get a shot at him, he'd find a way to escape and survive. We need to capture him and examine him—learn the extent of his mental illness. We need your help to lay a trap for him. Or 'Jack'…"

"Let me see if I got this straight: you kidnap my children, threaten my life, and now you want me to be bait for my husband so that you can use him as a glorified lab rat? Are you out of your fucking mind!"

This was crazy. This was insane. This had to be a dream. This could only be a dream or more accurately a nightmare.

"Mrs. Rippner, you are the only one who can help us stop Jackson. Help us and we free your children."

"And if I refuse?"

"I sorry to say this, but we'll just have to send you the bodies of little Jackson—his first name is Jackson, right?—and Henrietta."

Lisa gasped. No, they would not do that—would they? Would the company really kill two innocent children?

Of course they would! These were the same people that were having Jackson plot the assassination of an entire family! Just like they were planning now… It was the same plan as the Keefe assassination only different. The company was going to take out all the Rippners. They failed the first time and now they were trying to convince her to give up Jackson and trap all four of them. The company would never let her children go and she knew it. Henrietta and JR would probably die no matter what. Unless she somehow managed to sneak in and rescue them…

"What's it going to be, Mrs. Rippner? Your husband or your children? Who is more important to you? Or you could pull a Jackson and just save yourself. The ball's in your court…"

Could she really choose between them? Could anyone make that choice? When you truly love someone—can you ever decide their fate? Choosing one over the other meant certain death for the unchosen one. Could she live with herself if she chose?

"Um…" Lisa began, unsure. What was she thinking?

Memories of the past filled her mind. The first time she met Jackson, when he saved her from Roberts, their wedding, when she thought that he was dead, leaving him to escape Jack, the birth of the twins, seeing Jackson playing with them, the love between their close-knit family, and the happy times they all had together. They had once been a happy, loving family. Lisa wanted that back. She wanted all of her family back. She would not sacrifice any of her family.

Lisa lied through her teeth. "I'll help you find Jackson… just please let my children go." She had no intention of leading them to him. She did want to know about all these mental issues the company seemed to think he had. Luckily, Jackson had been a manager and she had picked up a few things when it came to manipulating people. She would find out what she needed to know, play along a little, save her children, and then disappear with her family.

"We'll arrange it. Good-bye, Mrs. Rippner," said the man, seemingly satisfied with her answer before he hung up with a click.

Lisa broke down again, crying. All she wanted was for them to be a normal, happy family. Why did it have to be so damn hard? Why couldn't everyone just leave them alone? Why did Jackson have to be mentally ill? Why was it always her family being threatened?

If only she could make it all go away…

**Author's Notes:**

That was a very long phone conversation with very little besides dialogue but it seemed to work best that way. Hope everyone enjoyed this and I wonder how many little clues you picked up as to what is going on. There are plenty of hints as to what's happening—or so I think. Next chapter soon.


	7. Chapter Six

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Six**

Jackson cursed slightly as he felt the aches and pains running through his body. What had he done? He was covered in dust and his once nice suit was ruined. Or at least his dress shirt and pants were. He had almost forgotten that he had given Lisa his jacket.

His abdomen hurt the most. He felt almost as if he had been hit with a semi. No, that was not what happened… Lisa had hit him with his own car. He could see her face now, begging forgiveness for what she was about to do, as she carefully hit him. She lightly struck him once and then pulled away. She could have easily run him over and killed him. Why didn't she? Why had she not killed him when she had the chance?

He knew that Jack wanted her dead. Jack would use him to kill her.

Jackson loved Lisa more than life itself. Why couldn't Lisa see what she had to do? Why couldn't she realize that she would never be safe around him? If Jack took over again or even came close to it; then her and the twins were doomed. Jack had told him of his plan.

Jack wanted to be a manager again. Jack wanted to kill Lisa and the twins, whom he blamed for the loss of his job. Jack really enjoyed killing people. Jackson never had. After he killed his parents and experienced loss, he never wanted to kill again. But then Jack came along, and he goaded him into killing, trying to convince him that he could have revenge if he killed. He had been young and naïve and he wished that he could take it all back now. He wished that he had never killed anyone or helped to kill them.

His problems had worsened over time. Eventually he just gave up and withdrew, becoming heartless and a killer. He let Jack have free rein to plan, maim, and murder. He stopped fighting it. He had nothing left to lose after he lost his parents.

Then he met Lisa and he approached her as Jackson; the first time in many years that his really personality had come out and into the light. She reminded him what it was like to have feelings. He had wanted to cry when he relinquished control over to Jack on the airplane. Once or twice, the real Jackson showed up, fighting Jack. The rest of the time, when she was scared out of her mind, Jack had been in control.

And then Jack tried to kill her.

He had been helpless. Thankfully, Lisa had stopped him from doing something that he would have regretted. Jack was defeated and beaten into submission. Jackson had control until a few times Jack slipped out, eager to kill and control. Jack loved control.

Jackson refused to give Jack control. Jackson refused to let him hurt Lisa. Yet, Jack still escaped too many times and injured her. Jack took over the day of the car accident and would have been pleased to kill Lisa and the baby. Jack took over many times, and each time Jackson forced him back, worried about what might happen.

But no more. Jack was no longer satisfied with the little control that he had. He wanted it all back. Jack had been the one plotting against the company without Jackson's knowledge. Jack wanted the company to take out Lisa, JR, and Henrietta. With his family gone, Jack expected him to relinquish control again out of grief. That's what Jack wanted.

And Jackson refused to grant it. He would not give Jack control. Jack had already done enough. His children were missing and in grave danger, and now Lisa was scared to death of him.

He had to save his family and defeat Jack.

He just did not know how.

* * *

Johnson had a smug look upon his face after he hung up the phone. Lisa Rippner had fallen into his trap with relative ease. She had balked at first, but she gave in, like he knew that she would. A mother's first instinct is to protect her children. He had her children and with her convinced that Jackson was insane; they were all that she had left and she would do anything to save them.

Jackson was not insane. He did have a few mental problems; which all went back to the split personality that he created following the murder of his parents. He created Jack to make himself stronger and to keep himself from harm. Jack turned vicious and became inflicted with antisocial personality disorder, before he became a deranged psychopath and sociopath.

Without his split personality, Jackson was safe and sane. If he managed to find a way to stop Jack, then Jackson was no longer a danger to anyone. But if either of the Rippners knew, then they would stop cooperating and he needed them to cooperate.

Jack had been a good manager and Johnson wanted him back. Letting Jack kill Lisa and her children would put them on his good side. Jack would work for them if they could get Jackson to give up. If Jack killed his family, Jackson would resign control again and he might even create a new personality as well. The only probably was that Jackson would be a suicide risk while he was in control after Jack killed them.

But the company could work around that. They could make Jack stay in control and banish Jackson.

It was a piece of cake, seeing the groundwork that had been laid by Roberts and the unknowing Rippners. The Rippners had fallen into a trap without their knowledge and despite their best attempts to stop it.

Manipulation was the name of the game and Johnson was going to win…

**Author's Notes:**

Another twist. No one is what they seem. And Jackson is just plain confused, so take what he thinks/says/does with a grain of salt. Happy Holidays, everyone!


	8. Chapter Seven

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seven**

Lisa beat her head against the steering wheel in frustration. She had made a deal with the same people that she knew had a contract hit out on her life, her children's lives, and Jackson's life. One mistake and they were all dead.

The phone rang again and she allowed her pent-up tears to fall as she answered it.

"Hello?" she cried.

"Mrs. Rippner, listen closely to what I am about to say," Johnson spoke calmly and coolly into the phone. "Are you listening?"

"Yes."

"Good," Johnson remarked, before giving her directions to the safe house that was his base of operations at the moment. The safe house where he was keeping her children.

Lisa followed all of his directions and was relieved when she pulled up in front of a house strikingly similar to her own—prior to the explosion—and was greeted by a suited man on a cellular phone. The man was familiar to her, yet she could not remember when she had met him and what his name was.

"This way, Mrs. Rippner," urged the man, the same man she had spoken to on the phone. If only she could remember who he was and when she had met him before.

Lisa followed him into the house, through the codes and security checks, and into a dark hallway. She was puzzled, but dared not ask any questions or get her hopes up. She memorized every detail about the house, praying that she would be able to find her way out with her children. If she ever got to see her children.

The hallway ended at a door, which the man opened and led Lisa into an office. His office, she assumed.

"Sit," he said, gesturing towards an empty chair.

Lisa sat down and glanced around. She had been in the same setting as this with that man before. Jackson had been with her. Jackson had led her past the security and after killing Rita, introduced her to that man. He was Johnson, Jackson's old boss from when Jackson worked for the company.

"Why am I here?" Lisa questioned, her voice trembling—not from fear, because she already knew this man—to add to her act.

"Mrs. Rippner, I need to discuss Jackson with you. I need to know as much about him and 'Jack' as you are willing to tell me. If you help me understand the extent of his illness, I can allow you to visit your children before we trap Jackson."

Lisa nodded. This was going to be easier than she thought. She would get her information and leave with her children. She would hide with her children until she figured out how to deal with Jackson. No one would ever find them.

"When did you first realize that it was 'Jack' who hated you, not Jackson?"

"Not long after he saved me from Roberts and I realized that we loved each other. I knew that Jackson was a good person then… After Roberts brainwashed him, I knew for sure that it was not Jackson," Lisa guessed, unsure when she had really known. It had always been a feeling that it was not Jackson who hurt her, but until recently, she had not known that he was mentally ill.

"Okay," muttered Johnson, jotting down some notes. "What normally happens when Jack is present? What happens to Jackson?"

Lisa knew all the signs of Jack taking over by now. She always kept a close eye on Jackson because he usually did not know what was happening.

"Jackson becomes cold. I can always see the change in his eyes. They become icy, cold… He is no longer gentle and kind. He slams me around and strangles me. His voice is sometimes different—it has an edge to it that is not like Jackson. I just can feel that it is not Jackson. I know when it's Jackson and when it's Jack…" Lisa told him.

"Good."

"What's wrong with Jackson? What's the extent of his illness?" blurted Lisa out, close to tears. "What's wrong with him? Did I do something to him?"

"Mrs. Rippner," Johnson said softly to the upset woman. "It was not anything you did. It was Jackson—he created 'Jack' to cope with the murder of his parents—who did it."

"Should I have taken him to see someone? Was there something I should have done to help him?" Lisa cried, letting tears flow.

"You are doing the best thing for Jackson by helping us. Coming to us was what you needed to do. We can help Jackson if you help us."

"What else do you need to know?" Lisa questioned, even though she had gotten what she needed. Johnson had told her that it was Jackson who was responsible for Jack. If she could find a way for him to destroy Jack, then they would be safe.

"Does Jackson know when he's hurt you?"

"No, not always. Sometimes he's aware of it, but usually not until after the fact."

Johnson took down some more notes. "Has he ever hurt your children?"

"Never. They're Jackson's babies. He loves them too much to let Jack hurt them. The only person Jack ever hurts anymore is me. Jackson tries to stop him, but Jack hates me too much. Jack has no reason to hate Henrietta and JR."

She would kill Jackson before Jack hurt their kids.

"How often have you hurt Jackson back to stop him from killing you?" Johnson asked next.

"I always fight back," Lisa replied stiffly.

_"No, that it would never happen again," Lisa swore before jabbing the monster pen sharply into Jackson's throat._

"Does Jackson get mad when you hurt him back?"

"No, it stops Jack and Jackson is always in control again afterwards. I always tell him what happened and he understands."

"Has Jackson ever considered leaving you to learn how to control 'Jack'?"

"No, Jackson has never thought about it. I left him once—before the twins were born—to give him time to control Jack, but never again would either of us do it," Lisa sighed, recalling the pain. "It hurts too much."

Johnson seemed pleased by her answer. "That's enough for now, Mrs. Rippner. Would you like to see your children?"

Lisa's face brightened at the idea of seeing Henrietta and JR again. Johnson smiled and picked up the phone, dialed a number, and muttered something before hanging up.

"Follow me," ordered Johnson and Lisa's heart began to ache and her apprehension began to rise. This was it. Soon, she would have to escape with her children and try to save Jackson from himself as well. She should have been rescuing Henrietta and JR with Jackson's help, not on her own. This was not how it was supposed to be…

* * *

Jackson was awoken from a coma-like sleep by the sound of a ringing phone. Groggily, he sat up and answered the cell phone that was lying on the table. He had never seen it before in his life, but then the company had been in his house.

"Yeah?" he yawned.

"Oh good, you answered the phone. Good dog, Rippner," came an unfamiliar voice on the line. Jackson bristled at being called a 'dog'. Only Lisa was allowed to have that conversation with him.

"What the fuck do you want?" he snapped, feeling Jack beginning to stir; wanting to manipulate this other person.

"Language, Rippner. Now listen carefully to me."

"Give me one good reason."

"How about three?" questioned the man. "How about your wife and your two children? Does that work for you?"

"What have you done with my family?" growled Jackson, fully awake now and pissed.

"Nothing as of yet. But if you ever want to see them alive again, then you'll turn yourself in. Give up now and they might still have a chance."

"Where do you want me to go?" Jackson asked. He would do what this man said to get back to them. Then he would formulate a plan to save them. He would gladly give his life to save theirs and to get them to safety.

**Author's Notes:**

Lisa and Jackson are being drawn into Johnson's carefully laid trap without knowing it. Johnson has the information that he needs to ensure Lisa's demise and Lisa is weaponless and focused on saving her family. Jackson will be armed and Johnson is looking forward to the fatal confrontation that will (he hopes) leave Lisa dead as well as the twins and destroy Jackson. Everyone's got their own plan, which will either help or hurt the other's plans. Enjoy! Next chapter coming soon! Sorry that this one sucked.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eight**

"Henrietta! JR!" Lisa cried joyfully, as Johnson let her into the room where he was keeping her children.

"Mommy!" cried the twins, running to her side, and enveloping her in a tight hug.

Lisa held them close, smoothed their dark hair, and whispered in their ears. They were safe. She felt a wave of relief closing in. She had part of her family back and she was close to feeling whole again. But the only missing piece was Jackson.

"Are you okay?" Lisa asked them, concern showing in her voice.

"We're fine, mommy," Henrietta reassured her. "Just scared."

"Where's daddy?" JR questioned, looking straight into Lisa's eyes with his bright blue ones.

"I don't know, baby. I don't know where daddy is."

"Are you going to find him? That's what the bad men said. They said that you were going to find daddy for them," Henrietta spoke to her. The twins were double-teaming her, trying to find out what was going on. They were extremely perceptive children.

"I'm going to find daddy. Not for them, but for us. I'm going to find daddy and we're all going to go home," Lisa promised them.

"Time to go, Mrs. Rippner," Johnson called as he re-entered the room to collect Lisa.

Lisa glanced up from her children and shook her head 'no'. She did not want to leave. She did not want to let her children—her babies—go.

"Time to go!" hissed Johnson, stepping closer to her. "You've seen them. Now, let's go."

Lisa clung tighter to the twins. She knew that she should go, but she did not want to let them go. They were all that she had at the moment. They were her world and she was not about to let them go without a fight. Why couldn't Jackson be there with her and help her to rescue their children?

"Mrs. Rippner, time's a-wasting. Now, let's go," sang Johnson, as he grabbed a handful of her curly hair and yanked, pulling her up from the floor and away from her children.

"Mommy!" cried the twins, reaching towards her. They did not want to see her leave again. Their blue eyes echoed their fright.

"No!" Lisa cried, fighting the tight grip upon her hair. "I don't want to leave them!"

It was useless. Lisa was dragged from the room and tossed to the ground. Johnson's men had held Henrietta and JR back, keeping them from chasing her. She could hear their cries, yet there was nothing she could do for them at that moment.

"Mrs. Rippner, I don't want to hurt you or your beautiful children, but I will unless you start to cooperate with me and soon. Your husband's on the move. Now's the time," Johnson forced her to look at him as he spoke, reminding her of Jackson when they were on the red eye.

"I want my children with me or I don't help you," insisted Lisa. It was a battle of wills, similar to the ones that she had faced with Jackson, and she was not about to back down or to lose.

"I can't do that."

"Then I can't betray Jackson to you," Lisa spoke truthfully. Letting them catch Jackson was betrayal. She was going to betray him to the company—to the very people who were hunting him and wanted to destroy their lives again—to save herself and the twins. Asking her to betray the only person that she truly trusted—before this mess occurred, at least—was hurting her. She did not want to give up Jackson. And she did not want to lose Henrietta and JR.

"I'm sorry then," Johnson said, grabbing her hands together and binding them with a piece of rope. "I wish that you would cooperate."

"I've cooperated enough," spat Lisa stubbornly. She knew that she was not thinking logically and that she was being rash and dumb. But she had to do it. For some reason, she was driven to act this way.

Johnson snorted; an odd behavior for a man who belonged in an old black-and-white movie with his looks. "Time to move on to plan B, then."

"Plan B?" It was Lisa's turn to snort. "How many plans do you have?"

"I'm a manager—it's what we do."

"Well—" Lisa began, cut off by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Johnson. Yeah? Where? I'm on my way," Johnson said into the phone, before he hung up.

Lisa was pulled to her feet and Johnson dragged her along after him. He was almost running and Lisa was stumbling after him in her worn-out heels. She waited for an opportunity to escape, which came when he paused beside a door.

Lisa raised her head and delivered a powerful head-butt. Johnson stumbled and Lisa cracked her bound wrists against his head. Sparks of pain flew into her wrists, but it was worth it. She was turning the tables. Johnson fell onto the floor and Lisa kicked him in the head and knocked him out.

She fell to the ground beside him and searched his pockets for weapons. Sure enough, Johnson carried a gun and a knife. Lisa used the knife to slice her bonds. She considered leaving the knife behind, but she never knew when it would come in handy. So she slipped the knife into the sheath and placed the sheath in her pocket. The gun was in her hand and she was ready to shoot anyone who got in her way.

Lisa ran back the way she had come, heading for her children. She was not about to leave Henrietta and JR behind. She would rescue them and then get the hell out of that house.

"Henrietta! JR!" she cried, once she reached the door to their room. No guards were in sight, yet the door was locked.

"Mommy!" they answered on the other side.

"I'm going to get you out. Don't worry!" she reassured them, trading the gun for the knife. She worked the knife between the doorframe and the door lock, just like Jackson had when he had cornered her in Joe's house after the red eye. She worked the knife quickly and managed to pop the lock with relative ease.

The door opened and Henrietta and JR rushed into her arms again. She hugged them tightly once more, before disentangling herself from their grip to hide the knife in her pocket and remove the gun.

"Stay close to mommy, okay?" she asked them, before standing up. The twins nodded and grabbed each other's hands before Henrietta reached up to grab her left hand. Lisa smiled and led them towards what she hoped was the exit.

As Lisa rounded a corner, she heard footsteps and raspy breathing. She motioned to the twins to hide. They obeyed, scampering away into the shadows.

She tightened her grip upon the gun. Could it be Jackson who was rasping? Or was it some poor fool with asthma? Did she dare hope that it was Jackson?

The shadow of a knife appeared on the floor near her and Lisa's mind flashed back to when she was playing hide-and-seek with a knife-wielding Jackson.

Her heartbeat began to race and she vaguely wondered if this would be the end.

The shadow changed as a man stepped into the room and a pair of crystal blue eyes shone from under a curtain of dark hair. Lisa began to relax and stumbled into his arms.

"Leese," whispered Jackson's calm voice in her ear.

She was safe. She was safe in Jackson's warm embrace.

**Author's Notes:**

And the plot twists yet again! Enjoy! Next chapter soon!


	10. Chapter Nine

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Nine**

"Jackson?" Lisa's voice trembled, unsure if she should be happy or worried. Was it Jackson who was holding her or Jack pretending to be Jackson?

"It's me, Leese," he reassured her, his bright blue eyes boring into her deep brown ones. "I'm really here."

"Are you okay?" she questioned quickly. "I feel so bad about hitting you with the car…"

"I'm fine. A little sore, but I understand what happened. I forgive you."

"Oh, Jackson, I was so worried that Jack had won! I thought that you were gone for good! I was wondering what I'd tell Henrietta and JR—" Lisa babbled until Jackson silenced her.

His lips were on hers, kissing her gently at first, and then becoming rougher and more passionate. Her back hit a wall and she wanted nothing more than to cling to him, melt into him, and never leave his side again. She focused her brown eyes upon his crystal blue orbs and noticed an icy edge—a sudden, startling coldness—creeping into them. Lisa quickly tried to back away and escape his grasp, but he stopped her. She was trapped in his embrace, which was _anything_ but comforting.

"Good-bye, Leese," hissed his raspy voice, when they stopped kissing for a brief moment to breathe.

Pain erupted in her side. She cried out and fell to the floor. Lisa touched a hand to her side and it came away sticky and wet with her own crimson blood.

* * *

It had almost been _too_ easy.

Lisa had never suspected anything. He knew that timing was essential. Timing was part of the reason Jack had allowed Jackson temporary control over his own body. He used Jackson as a lure to catch his prize. His prize had been Rippner's wife and his latest victim.

Jackson had been lucky to be allowed to spend a few moments with Lisa before killing her…

* * *

Jackson fought Jack's controlling hold. The look in Lisa's eyes—that haunting, accusing look of betrayal—had unnerved him. He loved her and he had sworn never to hurt her again, yet _he_ had just driven a 12-inch blade into her spleen and now she lay bleeding to death on the stone floor at his feet.

'Give it up!' hissed Jack.

"No!" insisted Jackson. He would never give up while Lisa still had a chance at life.

'Finish it… Let me finish it!'

"Daddy!" screamed Henrietta, bursting from her hiding place to run to Lisa's side. She regarded Jackson with fear, shaking ever so slightly as he faced her. She had seen him stab Lisa. "Why did you hurt mommy?"

'And the party begins… Let's have some fun…'

"Henrietta, please sweetie, don't be afraid," Jackson said soothingly to his only daughter. "I'm not going to hurt you…"

'Yes you will…' hissed Jack. Jack could not wait to make Jackson kill his children. It would be more fun than killing Lisa was.

"You hurt mommy!" accused the little girl, growing braver as the seconds passed. She clearly took after Lisa was usually never afraid of anything.

The look on her face matched the one Lisa had given him. Betrayed; he had betrayed them both. He had given Jack just what he had always wanted.

"Stay with me 'etta," Lisa whispered hoarsely, placing her left arm around Henrietta's shoulder. "Stay with mommy."

"Lisa!" called Jackson, surprised that she was still conscious.

"Stay away…" growled Lisa, shakily aiming her gun at him. "Stay away! I won't let you touch them!"

Jackson opened his mouth to protest, to tell her what was happening, when JR came racing over to Lisa's side and Jack grew hungry for blood. Jackson felt his arm raise the knife, aiming to strike at his children.

Bang.

Lisa shot him in the right shoulder, causing him to drop the knife. He felt Jack's anger and hatred towards Lisa grow.

He had to do something.

Jackson pulled his cell phone out and called for an ambulance. Lisa was glaring at him from her position on the floor. Both of her arms were wrapped around her children and he knew better than to try to help her. The bullet in his shoulder was proof of that. She would not hesitate to shoot him again.

'Give it up! She's going to die. You did it. Your hands have her blood on them…' Jack hissed.

"No! I love her!" insisted Jackson, fighting the monster inside him that had caused so much pain and damage to his family.

'You want her dead. She ruined everything. She has to die.'

Anger flared within Jackson—anger towards Jack. How dare Jack say such things? He never wanted to hurt anyone. Not since his parents' murder…

When he first met Jack.

Jack had first appeared after he killed his parents. Jack had urged him into revenge—into killing—and changed his life until he met Lisa and the events of the red eye occurred.

Lisa. Her murder would put Jack back in control. He had to stop Jack.

'You can't stop me, Jackson. I'm part of you," taunted Jack.

"I created you…" Jackson realized with a start. It all made sense now. Jack had been intended to help him cope with his grief, but now he was out of control. "I can stop you."

'Not without bringing me back. You killed her, just like your parents...'

"Shut up! Lisa's still alive. I won't let her die. I won't ever give her up. Get out!"

'I'm ashamed of you… Really…'

"Leave me alone! You've done enough!" raged Jackson.

'_You_ killed her. Blood on your hands…'

"She's alive and you're dead. I want you gone!"

Lisa moaned in pain. She could not stop the bleeding and the pain was intensifying.

Jackson fought harder. He was not going to let Jack hurt Lisa or any of his family _ever_ again.

'You can't win… You've already lost…'

"Jackson…" whimpered Lisa, knowing that the end was close and that Jackson was still somewhat there.

Hope. She was still hanging on. He had to keep fighting for her.

Jackson was overwhelmed with emotions. He could feel Jack cringe. Jack could not stand emotions. Emotions were the key—good, powerful emotions—to stopping Jack. Emotions had created him and now they would destroy him.

Jack shrieked in pain as Jackson tried to find as many emotions as possible. He looked towards Lisa, struggling for her life, and his children, scared and shocked. Jack was losing the battle.

'I'll be back!' promised Jack, before Jackson felt him disappear.

Jackson almost fell over in shock. Jack was gone. Jack was gone!

Lisa!

Jackson stumbled towards Lisa and pressed his good hand upon the bleeding wound that he had inflicted. "Hang on, Leese," he cried. "Hang on."

Sirens filled his ears. Help was close.

"Jackson… so sorry…" whispered Lisa, tears falling from her eyes.

"No, Lisa, I'm sorry."

"Take care of them… please…" Lisa pleaded, looking to Henrietta and JR, frozen in shock.

"Stop talking like this Leese. You're going to be fine. We're going to be a family again."

Lisa smiled sadly and then shook her head.

"I love you, Jackson…"

"No!" Jackson protested, feeling Lisa start to give up. "Fight it, goddamn it! Fight it, Lisa!"

Lisa reached up with her bloody hand and touched him on the cheek. Tears streamed down his face. No, this could not be happening. Lisa could not be dying.

Lisa's hand fell to the ground beside her as a group of EMTs rushed into the room.

**Author's Notes:**

Evil cliffie! Who thinks that Lisa is going to live and who thinks that she is going to die? I'm curious to know what you think is going to happen. Don't worry, this story isn't over yet. Jackson still has to come to terms with Jack and his past. Enjoy!


	11. Chapter Ten

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Ten**

The next few hours were a blur for Jackson.

Lisa had been on the verge of dying when the EMTs arrived and started to care for her. Henrietta and JR had been herded away from Lisa by a kindly police officer, who had followed the EMTs to the scene. Jackson was pried away from her side to be treated for his gunshot wound. Both the Rippners went straight into surgery upon arrival at the nearby hospital.

Henrietta and JR were taken to the hospital as well by the police officer, who called Joe Reisert to meet them there. If Joe had seemed surprised by receiving a phone call from the police, he showed no signs of it.

When Jackson woke up, he was mildly surprised to see Henrietta and JR asleep on the nearby bed and Joe staring at him from the chair the older man had pulled up between the beds. Joe seemed incredibly suspicious of him.

"How's Lisa?" croaked Jackson, not bothering to have a staring contest with Joe. He glanced over towards the twins, and was extremely grateful that they were okay. Emotionally, they would be scared, but he could see no physical marks upon them.

"Somewhat stable. You aren't allowed to see her," Joe answered, anticipating Jackson's next question.

"Why the hell not?"

"The police want to question both of you. They found her blood on your knife with your fingerprints at the scene, as well as the gun that shot you with her fingerprints on it. They are not letting either of you near each other until they figure this matter out. I'm frankly surprised that they are letting me and the children visit."

"Why aren't you with Lisa?"

"No visitors are allowed to see her right now. Let's stop beating around the bush, shall we?" said Joe, cutting to the chase. "What happened?"

Jackson sighed, before saying, "It was all Jack. He got the company set after us. The company kidnapped Henrietta and JR and Lisa hit me with a car. She was rescuing them when I was sent to the safe house where they all were. Jack made me attack her and she attacked me back when Jack had me take a swipe at the twins."

"Mr. Rippner?" a knock sounded at the door, startling both of the men. They looked up and noticed a police officer.

"Yes?" rasped Jackson.

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

"Not at all," lied Jackson. It was one of the few times that he would ever lie in his life. Unlike most people in his profession, he preferred to tell the truth.

"Is this the first time that there has been a domestic dispute between you and your wife, Lisa?"

"I don't know about 'domestic dispute', but yes we have had our fair share of fights. Never like this before though."

"What about the time that a police report was filed, about six years ago, saying that you threatened her aboard an airplane and then chased her with a knife around her father's house? It says here that you were shot twice, stabbed with a shoe, and stabbed with a pen. What do you have to say about that?" questioned the police officer, bringing up the red eye.

Fuck. He had thought that everything had been dealt with concerning that flight. Apparently not.

"It was a misunderstanding, as was our latest fight," Jackson said with a smirk. "I love my wife."

"Did you, or did you not, stab your wife with a knife?"

"Yes, I did, but I was not in the right state of mind at the time."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm mentally ill due to various traumas inflicted upon me over the years. It causes me to do things that I regret, such as hurt Lisa. Lisa understands and she hurts me back to stop it," Jackson explained coolly.

"Hmm," muttered the police officer, recording what Jackson stated into his notebook. "You will have to be examined by a mental health professional to determine the accuracy of this claim. Until then, there is a restraining order preventing you from going near or contacting Lisa Rippner as well as Henrietta Rippner and Jackson Joseph Rippner. I'm sorry Mr. Reisert, but you will have to take the children out of the room and away from Mr. Rippner."

"What?" cried Jackson in disbelief. "Who authorized you to keep me from my family?"

"Jackson, leave it," hissed Joe, standing up and heading over to wake up the twins.

"Who told you to make that order?"

"I did," admitted Joe and Jackson focused his blinding blue gaze upon him. "I gave the order. It's just temporary—until Lisa can tell us otherwise. It's not that I don't trust you, Jackson, I just don't trust Jack."

Jackson could not believe what he was hearing. Joe was taking his children away from him and the police were keeping Lisa hidden from him. He had saved his family and defeated Jack only to lose them all.

"Grandpa? What's happening?" asked a sleepy JR.

"We've got to go back to my house and leave your daddy alone for awhile," Joe told the miniature Jackson.

"Why?" questioned Henrietta, rubbing the sleep from her blue eyes.

"Your daddy needs to sleep, right Jackson?" Joe said pointedly.

Jackson was shocked. Joe wanted him to corroborate with him and second what he had said. He wanted Jackson to send his own children away.

"Is that true, daddy?" JR looked him square in the eye. "Are you sleepy?"

"Yes," nodded Jackson, his voice breaking from the emotional pain that he was experiencing. "You have to listen to grandpa and go with him because daddy's tired."

"But I don't want to go," pouted JR. Henrietta did not protest because she had seen him stab Lisa. She was afraid of him. It was the other way around for JR. He had only seen Lisa shoot Jackson. "Do I have to go, daddy?"

"Yes, you do. Daddy needs to sleep. Grandpa will look after you and bring you back to see me soon, okay?"

JR looked hurt, but he relented. Not before tackling Jackson and giving him a hug though. Jackson ignored the pain that his son unknowingly caused and hugged him back, not wanting to let go because he did not know when he would ever see his children again.

"Be good for grandpa," Jackson called after him and Henrietta.

"Thank you for making this easy, Jackson," Joe whispered before following the twins.

Jackson glared at his retreating back, hating him for taking his children away. He knew that Joe had their best interests at heart, but it did nothing to lessen the pain.

"Mr. Rippner, I will try and track down someone willing to give you a mental evaluation," announced the police officer before he followed Joe out the door.

Jackson gritted his teeth. He wished that he could be following the group out the door and leaving the hospital with Lisa, Henrietta, and JR in tow. He wanted his family back and he wanted their life to go back to normal—or at least normal for the Rippners.

**Author's Notes:**

In the next chapter, Jackson gets a mental evaluation and Lisa wakes up. Lisa really could have died or lived, but if she was alive, it would give Jackson something more to fight for. The road to ridding himself of Jack is just beginning and it's not going to be easy. Enjoy!


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eleven**

A young man wearing glasses entered Jackson's room a little over an hour later. Jackson did not bother to look at the newcomer. Had he, he would have been surprised.

Dark haired, with bright blue eyes, and wearing a suit—with a tie and a sweater—Doctor Jonathan Crane looked almost like a mirror image of his patient. Yet there was obvious differences. Jackson had longer, tangled hair and looked downcast and upset—stressed if you cared to say it. Dr. Crane wore glasses and appeared to be sharp and an air of confidence floated around him. It was clear that they were not the same person, but the similarities were nonetheless striking.

"Mr. Rippner, my name is Jonathan Crane. I'm here to give you a mental evaluation. Are you listening to me?" Crane spoke, his head cocked in the direction of his possible patient. Provided that the man before him was mental unstable.

"Yeah," snapped Jackson, still not bothering to glance at him. He was lost deep in his own little world.

"Good. Let's begin, shall we?"

Jackson said nothing.

Dr. Crane sat down in the chair that had been vacated by Joe Reisert earlier. He studied the manager before, taking mental note of how broken he seemed. It not seem normal for this man to be so, depressed. He remembered that the file handed to him upon his rushed arrival to the hospital had mentioned that Mr. Rippner had been through some time of emotional and/or mental trauma recently and that he had stabbed his wife with a knife in front of his two children. And that had not been the first time, according to the file. Mr. Rippner had a violent past.

"Can you tell me who I am speaking with?" Dr. Crane questioned, carefully watching his reaction.

"Name's Rippner," rasped the disheveled man in the hospital bed, his right arm immobilized in a sling. "Jackson Rippner."

"Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital. Another damn hospital. I'm so sick of them."

"What caused you to come to the hospital? Do you remember what happened?" Dr. Crane was eager to hear what Jackson had to say concerning the events the police were curious about.

"Of course I remember," snapped Jackson. "How could I forgot? I let him win. I let him hurt Lisa."

"Who? Who did you let win?"

"Jack," he stated simply, turning his dull blue eyes towards Dr. Crane for the first time. "I let Jack win."

Interesting, very interesting. Another personality seemed to be competing with Jackson Rippner. What trauma had brought this on?

"When did you first meet Jack?"

"After I killed them," Jackson was becoming cryptic. He was trying to subtly shut Crane out.

"Killed who? Who did you kill, Jackson?"

"My parents. Roberts made me do it. I killed them without thinking."

Roberts. He would research this person later. He had a feeling that he would be seeing Jackson many more times.

"How did you kill them? Did you enjoy doing it?" Crane asked eagerly.

"I killed them with my own two hands. I knew it was them, yet I did it anyways. Roberts told me to do it and he was the first person who had been kind to me in years. I trusted him. He hurt my Lisa though…" Jackson's mind was wandering, unwilling to stay in one place. He was confused and pained.

"Who's Lisa?"

'Nasty rotten bitch, that one is…' growled Jack, reemerging. Jackson's defenses were done and now was the perfect time to reappear.

"Is this Jack?" Crane asked, noting the change. Jackson seemed to stiffen before his eyes and change.

'Yes—who'd you think it was? Keefe?' Jack joked.

"Tell me about yourself, Jack. What do you like to do?"

'Kill. I like to kill and control. I'm a manager—or at least I was until she got in the way… She ruined everything…'

"She who?" Crane questioned, curiosity driving him. Jack seemed to have a different opinion than Jackson.

'Lisa,' spat Jack, venom and loathing apparent in his voice.

"What did she do to you?"

'I was in supposed to be in control, but that neck-stabbing bitch stopped me. Jackson never fought me until she came around. The stupid fool fell in love with her!' Jack vented some of his anger. 'She ruined everything that I had done!'

"Is that why you stabbed her?" Crane asked, putting the events that he knew about together with the two sides of Mr. Rippner. It seemed more likely that Jack was behind all the questionable events.

'Yeah. I wish I had killed her… and her two brats as well. But no, he had to fight back and save her.'

"Tell me about Jackson," demanded Crane. "Does he agree with you often?"

'Rarely,' scoffed Jack. 'He's too good of a person for his line of work. He'd rather spend time with his precious family than plot a job.'

"What kind of job?" inquired Crane.

'Assassination, government overthrows—that sort of thing.'

"Oh."

This was interesting, very interesting…

* * *

"Lisa, honey, are you okay?" Joe's voice filled Lisa's ears as she began to slowly return to the world of the living.

"I think so," groaned Lisa, her vision swimming. "What happened? Where's Jackson? And the twins? Are they okay?"

"Calm down, Leese. The twins are fine. As for Jackson…" Joe sighed, shaking his head. "I don't really give a damn about him at this moment."

"Daddy, it was Jack—I think. Jackson wouldn't have hurt them or me. Something's wrong with him though. He needs help."

"I've already taken care of it," reassured Joe. "Jackson's not allowed near you or the kids until he is found to be okay. He's being mentally examined now."

"He's mentally ill. The company told me so. They wanted me to betray Jackson to them," Lisa recalled, remembering bits and pieces of what happened. She still did not remember the fight with Jackson—the fear and betrayal that he had struck into her—or anything other than being reunited with him. She was assuming that something happened to land her in the hospital.

"If I were you, I would have betrayed him."

"Why would you—" Lisa began, then feeling pain, she stopped and looked down where the pain was radiating. She lifted the hospital gown and noticed the neat stitches covering the wound Jackson had inflicted upon her.

Suddenly, it all was coming back and Lisa was very, very sacred.

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the OOCness. I'm sick and just a little bit of out it. But this chapter was begging to be written. Hope everyone's enjoying our little visit from Dr. Crane. The tension between him and Jackson should prove to be interesting, once Jackson quits moping around.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Twelve**

She had made a promise to herself to never let him hurt her again and to never let him hurt her children. And Lisa had failed miserably…

The ultimate betrayal had occurred. She had trusted him, believed in him, and loved him! What did Jackson do in return? He stabbed her with his knife, in front of his young children, before daring to move towards his own children!

She wished that she had killed the bastard when she shot him.

Lisa no longer felt any love towards her husband. All she felt was hatred and fear. She was afraid that he would come after her again…afraid of what he might do to Henrietta and JR. Jackson had proven to her that he was capable of anything that he set his mind to. He was capable of murdering her and the children without a second thought.

Or was he? Why did he seem to change so many times in those short minutes?

Had Jack stabbed her or had it really been Jackson?

Did it even matter anymore? Wasn't Jack still Jackson? Or a figment that Jackson created; another being to hide all of his guilt and anger behind? No, she had seen Jack before and there were clear-cut differences between the two of them. But it did not change what had happened. It did not change her feelings towards him.

Henrietta and JR were sleeping peacefully upon the empty hospital bed beside her. Joe had left the room to grab coffee and some dinner. He knew that Lisa needed some time alone to deal with the effects of the attack. She had been under so much stress and pressure. The man that she thought she loved and had married had shown himself to be a complete and total stranger—a monster bent on killing her and the two innocent children that were her babies.

What had happened to them over the years? Why had Jackson changed so terribly, so suddenly? Where had this anger been hiding over those five peaceful years?

"Mrs. Rippner?" called an unfamiliar voice and Lisa heard a fist knocking quietly on her door. "Can I speak with you?"

Lisa slipped her right hand carefully around the small gun that Joe had handed over to her earlier. He had brought in some clothes for the twins and for her and slipped her the gun that she had requested. He never questioned why she would want a gun in a hospital.

"Yes. Who are you?"

The man entered her room and she saw a pair of striking blue eyes staring at her. Jackson's eyes.

She gave an involuntary gasp and tightened her grasp on the gun.

"My name is Doctor Jonathan Crane. I'm treating your husband," announced Crane, stepping towards Lisa.

Lisa started to relax when she realized that this was not Jackson coming to kill her. This Dr. Crane resembled him but she could tell the difference between the two men.

"What is wrong with Jackson?" she questioned, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I believe that you already know the answer to that question. You see, Jack has told me all about you, Lisa…"

"Jack?" Lisa trembled. "You spoke to Jack? What happened to Jackson!"

"Mrs. Rippner, would you like to see my mask?" Crane asked with a smile, unsnapping his metal briefcase.

Something was wrong. Something was _very_ wrong.

A fine white powder flew into Lisa's face, coming from Crane's briefcase. He had pulled a burlap sack over his head, covering his Jackson-like features. Now, he removed the mask and his face was inches away from hers.

She was seized with terror. Jackson was going to kill her. This was Jackson and he had a bloody knife—it was her blood—and he was turning towards her children.

"No! Jackson, don't do it!" screamed Lisa, whipping the gun out, despite her clouded mind, fighting the powder.

"What is it you fear?"

"You, Jackson. I'm afraid of you. But not anymore," hissed Lisa, her grip steadying on the gun as she leveled it towards Crane, who she believed due to her fears, was Jackson.

"You're not afraid?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" he questioned, reaching a hand towards Henrietta's dark hair.

"Get away from my daughter, or I swear, I'll shoot you! I've shot you before and I'll do it again!" Lisa warned, clicking off the safety.

Blue eyes rounded on her, daring her to take the shot.

"You're immobilized by your fear," sneered Crane.

Lisa was weakening. She could see Jackson, his charming façade at the airport, asking about her favorite drink—befriending her—and then him chasing her. His face melded with the face of her rapist. She could see him hurting her again, choking her, stabbing her; it mattered not. She could see him killing her and her children.

Bang.

The recoil from the unfamiliar gun messed with her aim, sending the bullet passing his dark colored hair. She cursed; she had missed.

Nurses came rushing into the room, grabbing the gun from a sobbing and screaming Lisa. Henrietta and JR woke up and crawled under the bed in the chaos; frightened by the loud noises and the strangers. The only person who remained calm was Crane. He was pleased with his little experiment and surprised at her ability to fight back and repel the affects of the toxin.

A shot was given to Lisa, which instantly calmed her.

"Excuse me," Dr. Crane said to the nurse who gave Lisa the shot. "I'm Mrs. Rippner's new doctor. Can you help me move her to a secure room? And bring some restraints. She's a little crazy."

"Sure thing," nodded the nurse.

Crane smiled. Things were falling into place and soon, the Rippners would be no more than a memory and he would have all the research that he required.

**Author's Notes:**

Happy New Year! Everyone's got an agenda—including Crane. He's working with the company. More to come soon and everything will become clearer soon. Enjoy!


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Thirteen**

Lisa woke up in a strange, unfamiliar room. She was still in the hospital, but other than the off-white and pale, puke green colors that she had grown accustom to, there was not much that was the same. Restraints bound her wrists and ankles to the uncomfortable bed. The room was dimly lit and she could just make out the figure of another person across the room. He was lying on a bed as well, but she could tell no more than that.

"Finally waking up, I see," murmured a voice from the shadows, causing Lisa to turn her head.

"Who's there?" she cried, a note of fear and panic in her voice.

"Are you afraid, Mrs. Rippner? What do you fear?"

"I'm not afraid!" Lisa insisted, though inside she knew that she was lying. She was afraid of many things. Jackson was always her greatest fear. She knew what he was capable of. She also had a deep-seated fear of being raped again. It had been over seven years since that day in the parking lot, but she never forgot it.

"Stop lying to me. I can tell that you are afraid. Tell me, what is that you fear? Are you afraid of dying?"

"No!"

"Are you afraid of me? Afraid of what I might do?" questioned Crane, stepping into the light, allowing her to glimpse him and see the resemblance between himself and Jackson. His looks were part of the reason that Ra's Al Gaul sent him on this particular mission. The League of Shadows had been working with the company to get rid of the pest named Jackson Rippner.

"No…" Lisa said quietly. "I'm not afraid anymore."

The fear gas had worn off. That or she had fought it off.

The Rippners were fun to study for Crane. He had only tested Lisa Rippner with the fear gas so far and her reaction was very different than the reactions of the other 'crazies' that he had studied. She seemed to be able to fight it off. And Jackson Rippner was just an interesting person. Jonathan had rather enjoyed his conversation with Jack earlier. He knew that the company wanted Jack to reign in the body of their former top manager.

His job was to make Jack stay and to either kill or drive Lisa Rippner insane. He also had to destroy Jackson and keep the children out of the way. Ra's did not see a point in harming the children and stated that they should remain untouched for the time being. He wanted to test the fear gas on them and see how they reacted to it. He knew that they had witnessed the fight between their parents and he wondered how that would affect their fears.

A groan came from the other bed. His other 'patient' was awake.

"Leese…" a hoarse, raspy whisper came from the mouth of Jackson Rippner, now awakening in his bed, and finding himself restrained as well.

"Jackson! You bastard!" screamed Lisa, fighting her restraints. She wanted nothing more than to race over to the other side of the room and strangle her husband to death.

The lights flicked on, lighting up the room and giving the Rippners a good look at each other. Dr. Crane stood on the sidelines, eager to see how they would react to each other's presence.

"Lisa? Are you okay?" questioned Jackson, concerned.

"Am I okay?" spat Lisa bitterly. "You stabbed me with a knife!"

"Leese, I'm so sorry about it. I never meant to hurt you…"

Lisa laughed harshly. "I don't believe you anymore. I'm sick of your lies, Jackson. I'm sick of all of your damn lies!"

"_You see Lisa? I never lie," Jackson_ _told her._

"I'm not lying. I love you, Leese," Jackson said softly, sounding hurt.

"I want to believe you. I want to trust you. But I can't."

A small part of Lisa had yet to give up on Jackson. That small part of her heart still loved him, despite everything that he had done. She wanted the loving, caring Jackson back.

"Lisa…"

"No, listen to me. I can't trust you anymore. You betrayed me. It's over, Jackson, and you know it." She would not be drawn back into his web of lies and deceit, no matter how much her heart ached for him.

Her words hurt him deeply. He loved her with all of his heart and he did not want to lose her because of Jack. But if you really love someone, you can let go of them, right? No, he knew he would not last long without Lisa and the twins in his life. He gave up everything to be with her.

He would not lose her. He could not afford to.

"Lisa, I can stop Jack. Jack is a part of me that I created. I can stop him," he insisted.

"I wish I could believe you."

"Remember what I told you about my parents? How I killed them?"

"You said that you accidentally blew them up with a bomb," Lisa said with a somber nod. How could she forget that conversation? They had been on a plane and that was the same time that he told her about Roberts. She remembered begin curled up next him…

"That's what I chose to remember. When I got Jack to first disappear after I stabbed you, I remembered what really happened."

"You lied?"

"No, I told you what I thought was true. Jack hid it, allowing me to believe what was easiest."

"What really happened?" Lisa questioned, her voice trembling in fear and anticipation. She could tell by Jackson's face that the truth was painful.

Crane could not believe what was happening. They were starting to come clean with each other and reconcile. How was this possible? The rift between them—how could they begin to heal it? He had experienced first-hand the fear that Jackson had instilled in his wife and Jack had given him great insight about Jackson. He knew everything about them and it never seemed like they would get along again.

And why was Jack still gone? How was Jackson managing to keep his other half banished in the presence of Lisa?

"I began to trust Roberts, because my childhood had not been all that great. I don't remember the details—I blocked them out—and I don't want to know what happened. Roberts managed to convince me that killing them would make things better. It was a test, he told me. To see if I could possibly be a manager. I was young and eager to impress him."

Jackson sighed deeply before continuing. "I went to their house with a knife—a present from Roberts—and they were surprised to see me. All of a sudden anger and hatred flared up inside me and I struck…" his blue eyes were filled with pain and his voice breaking from the stress of the story.

"You killed them like you almost killed me," whispered Lisa, tears welling up in her eyes, and she was in shock. She never would have believed that Jackson was capable of this.

"There was blood everywhere, before I realized what I had done. I briefly remember speaking to them before I lost it. As soon as I noticed that they were dead, I planted the bomb and ran from there. Roberts congratulated me and signed me with the company."

"Did you feel bad about what you did?"

"Yes, after I figured out that Roberts had manipulated me and that I didn't need to kill them. That's when Jack came along and showed me a way out. He got me to think about revenge against Roberts."

Lisa nodded. "And it was all downhill from there."

"Until I met you. Then everything changed. Everything has changed."

Dr. Crane finally spoke up, "You're right, Mr. Rippner, everything _has_ changed. The rules are not the same anymore. The stakes are higher."

Both the Rippners turned to face him. "What the hell are you talking about?" questioned Lisa.

"You," Crane pointed at Jackson. "You broke the rules when you fell in love with her. You fucked things up really well when she ended up pregnant and you dropped out of the game."

"I was going to quit before I met Lisa! The Keefe assassination was to be my last job!" Jackson exclaimed, enraged at these accusations from this man. This man who looked so much like him…

"You got yourself into this mess, Rippner, and I for one am sick and tired of cleaning up your messes."

"Fuck you," Jackson cursed.

Crane smiled as he baited Jackson. "How do you know that your wife hasn't already? She made quite a scene earlier in her room. She was convinced that I was you and tried to shoot me."

Jackson glared at him, but refused to speak. Lisa could catch bits of muttered curses from across the room and Crane was entirely too happy for her liking.

"What is that you want?" hissed Lisa.

"I want you all to start cooperating! Why don't you just admit your fears like a good little girl? And Rippner, why don't you just give up and let Jack have what he wants? You're never going to win."

"I've already won several times and I'm not handing my family over," growled Jackson.

"Too bad, because we could be really great friends. Oh well, I hope you enjoy the show…" sneered Crane, opening his briefcase and aiming it at Lisa.

Jackson's blue eyes went wide as he saw the powder fly out and hit Lisa. She changed in that instant and started screaming.

Lisa Rippner was going insane and Jackson was being forced to watch.

**Author's Notes:**

A long, confusing chapter. Jackson's still working on getting rid of Jack. But he can't, so our good friend Crane will have to help with that later on. Crane's intentions are starting to show a little bit. And if things go his way, he'll be bringing the Rippners to Gotham City soon. Enjoy!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Fourteen**

Jackson was in complete and utter shock. This look-a-like stranger was daring to harm Lisa in front of him! If he were not being restrained, Jackson would have killed the lanky stranger who dared to call himself a doctor. That was no doctor, but a psycho!

Lisa's dark eyes were wide in fear, she was shaking, and her screams were hurting Jackson's ears and breaking his heart. What had Crane done to her? What was that powder?

"Tell me your fear," hissed Crane, smiling sadistically as he enjoyed her screams. "What do you fear?"

"Stay away! Stay away, Jackson! Stop it!" she yelled at Crane, mistaking him for Jackson.

Was that the reason that Crane looked so much like him? To torment Lisa? The powder—did it affect her mind?

"Leave Lisa alone!" growled Jackson, fumbling to reach his knife. The blade had been returned to him by Crane, when Jack was in control earlier.

"You touch them and I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you Jackson!" warned Lisa, believing that Crane was threatening her children. When she looked at Crane, she saw Jackson with a bloody knife and her children lying nearby, defenseless. She was delusional.

There was a reason that Crane looked like him, but Jackson could not think of why that might be. There was something oddly familiar about the doctor. He was going to figure it out, after he helped Lisa. He was not going to watch her suffer anymore.

The tips of his fingers reached the blade and he slid his right hand closer to it, despite the rubs that the restraints were making as they tore at his raw flesh. He gripped the handle and twisted the knife around to slice through the rough leather. With his right hand free, Jackson slit the restraint on his left wrist and remaining restraints before jumping on the distracted Crane and knocking him to the floor.

"I should kill you," Jackson told him, reminding Crane that Jack was not the only killer. Jackson still had a killing and mean, cold streak, but he was not as bad as Jack. He could control it, and had controlled it for the last five years. "But not until you tell me what you did to her."

"Why do you care, Jackson? Why does she mean so much? What makes her so special?" inquired Crane, determined to get as much information as he could.

Jackson could barely control the urge to kill Crane right then. He was sick of answering questions. Lisa had changed him for the better and he could not begin to explain what she meant to him and his feelings for her and the love he harbored for his children.

"Tell me what you did to her!" demanded Jackson, annoyed. "I love her too much to let this continue!"

"Love," spat Crane. "What is it really? A feeling; nothing more. Fear is more powerful—more deserving of attention—than love could ever be."

"What did you do to my wife, Crane?" questioned Jackson, pressing the blade into Crane's neck, drawing the slightest drops of blood.

"Gave her a dose of my medicine. You should try some too! It's very relaxing, getting to know your fear!" hissed Crane, shooting some powder at Jackson's face.

Jackson dropped the knife. Everything was suddenly changed to him. The knife was covered in blood, Crane was crawling with bugs, and he looked towards Lisa who was lying completely still and covered with her own crimson blood. His hands were stained with her blood. Jackson had sworn never to murder again after he killed his parents, yet he had.

He ran a sticky hand through his hair, blue eyes wild with fear. No, this could not be happening. Lisa could not be dead. He could not have killed her…

"Give into your fear…" called Crane's strange voice. "Give in Jackson…"

A taunting voice filled his head, memories from the past, saying in a sing-song fashion, "Jack the Ripper, Jack the Ripper! There goes the Ripper! Watch out or he might gut you!"

He had done it again. He had lost control and Lisa had paid the price with her precious life.

His greatest fear was losing control.

No, he refused to believe that Lisa was dead. She had been alive until Crane had sprayed him with that powder. The same powder that had driven Lisa to scream and mistake Crane for him. What was Crane trying to do?

"Tell me about your powder, Crane," Jackson suggested, trying to ignore the fear that he was feeling. Crane had done something to him and Lisa.

"Why should I tell you?"

"I thought I was your friend," hissed Jackson, using a different tactic.

"Jack? Is that you? I should have known the gas would work and cause him to leave!" cried Crane triumphantly.

"Hi."

He had to find out what Crane was up to. He was involved in something, but what?

"Now, my brother, we can work together to help my good friend, Ra's Al Ghul."

Brother? What was Crane saying? Jackson did not have a brother, unless you counted his dead half-brother Roberts.

"Yes, my brother, I'm eager to meet this Ra's. I'm sure that if he's anything like the two of us that we will get along fabulously," lied Jackson, coming up with what he thought Crane would want to hear.

"I shall arrange the transport for us and the insane Lisa Rippner. Ra's is eager to see how the toxin works and she is a perfect example," smiled Crane and Jackson helped him stand from the floor.

Crane disgusted him, but he had to work with Crane to discover what he had done to Lisa so that he could save her. It was the only way.

Jackson smirked as well, remembering that he was cold, heartless and saw eye-to-eye with Crane. This would be a test.

"Good."

"I think that you will enjoy our stay in Gotham, Jack."

Gotham? They were going to Gotham City? What was going on? What about the twins? How was Jackson supposed to get back with Lisa?

"I can't wait."

**Author's Notes:**

Jackson's playing along with Crane to get what he wants. He's pretending to be Jack to get on Crane's good side because Jack is really just a projection of how evil Jackson could be. Jackson is still slightly bad and is a killer, but he chose to stop killing, and Jack hasn't. And thanks for the idea, LadyJaye, I was considering something similar and your PM really got me thinking about it! Enjoy!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_ for that matter!

**Chapter Fifteen**

Joe Reisert was surprised at the behavior of his two favorite grandchildren. Henrietta and JR were normally very lively and active—after all, they were five year-olds! But ever since the Rippners ran for their lives, the twins had changed. The change had not been for the better.

How could Lisa and Jackson have been so careless with the lives of their children? Joe was still in shock from when Lisa had shown up with the kids after a few minor explosions and before the final explosion, which had leveled their house. She showed up, and then disappeared to search for the elusive Jackson, who later stabbed her.

The twins were obviously both affected by the fight between their parents. As far as Joe knew, Henrietta had been the only witness to Lisa's stabbing, but JR had seen Lisa shoot Jackson. The twins were split with their allegiances—Henrietta was scared to death of Jackson and JR was worried about Lisa—and Joe wondered how they could possibly be handling the situation.

They were too young to handle this kind of stress. Lisa and Jackson should never have exposed them to danger. Lisa had told him, that the company had kidnapped the twins. When she told him that Jackson had kept her from trying to stop the men from getting to her children, Joe lost all hope of Jackson being able to have a normal life with his family. He would keep Jackson away from the twins, no matter what.

That evening, a phone call woke Joe from a sound sleep. He quickly answered the phone, praying that the twins would be able to sleep through the ringing.

"Hello?" his groggy, sleep-filled voice answered.

"Mr. Reisert? It's Dr. Jonathan Crane. From the hospital?" came Crane's voice, strangely alive and awake considering the early hour.

"You're the one treating Jackson," Joe said, vaguely recalling the name being spoken. He had not actually met Crane, but he had heard about the young doctor.

"Correct. I'm sorry that I'm calling so late—or rather early—but I have some news regarding both your son-in-law and your daughter."

Joe was suddenly very much awake. "Lisa? What's wrong?"

"Lisa Rippner has had a psychotic breakdown again and Jackson Rippner is unstable as well. I'm preparing to have them transferred to my facility so that I can better treat them."

"Are you referring to the incident that happened earlier tonight?" Joe questioned, remembering the commotion he had witnessed upon returning to Lisa's room.

"Yes and no. Mrs. Rippner appears to have gotten worse since I moved her and is no longer sane. As for Mr. Rippner, I doubt that he was ever sane. You are caring for their children, I believe?"

"Yes. Why?"

"It might be in their best interest to seek mental help regarding what they have seen. If either one or both of their parents are insane, it is likely that they too could have some form of mental trauma," Crane explained calmly. He wanted to test the children as well—for fun—and he would have to have Jack to finish them off, as well as Lisa, eventually.

"I agree, but not yet. They are still upset and unsure as to what's going on," sighed Joe. He did not want to let go of the only reminder of Lisa at the moment. Especially if she were insane. If Lisa was insane, it was most likely due to dealing with an insane Jackson.

Joe had always suspected that Jackson was mentally unstable.

"I'm going to have them both transferred first thing today. I just thought that I would inform you…"

"Thank you, Dr. Crane. Can you tell me where you will be taking them?"

"To Arkham Asylum—where I work."

* * *

Everything was beginning to fall into place with relative ease. Soon, Crane would complete the agreement with the company and be rid of the Rippner family. Except for Jackson—Jackson would work with him. It was only fair that Jackson—or more accurately Jack—would get a second chance, after seeing who he was.

Jackson had never been aware of his twin brother. A hospital mistake had caused Jonathan to end up in Gotham City, growing up to become the Scarecrow, while his younger brother traveled across the globe frequently, dealt with problems with his parents, and became a manager. Jackson had run into their criminally insane half-brother, a product of their mother's first marriage, John Roberts and been turned against his parents. Jackson had grown up on the wrong side of the law, and Jonathan on the right. They had been opposites, yet they were alike in many ways now.

Both the brothers had another, secret side. Jackson's was boringly named 'Jack', yet Jonathan's was 'Scarecrow' and more accurate. When Jonathan donned his mask, he became the persona that he shared his body and mind with, the name that he had been taunted and teased with for many years. Jackson too had been teased and called names and he became the killer that the other kids joked about when he assumed Jack.

Jack and Jonathan would get their chance to get back at the world together. It was too late to get revenge upon all those who ruined their lives—Jackson had already murdered the only people who knew about them being twins besides Ra's Al Ghul—and those who used them.

They would be a great pair and they would be feared. The names Scarecrow and Jack would strike fear deep into the hearts of anyone who heard them. Crane's plan to taint the water supply would earn them respect amongst their peers and fear from everyone in Gotham and the other cities that would learn about it.

The only problem was Jackson Rippner. Jack needed Crane's help to replace Jackson, just as the Scarecrow planned on replacing Jonathan one day.

Jackson's love for his wife and children would be their undoing. Jackson was the only one that stood in their way. Luckily, Lisa was being an excellent test subject for the fear gas and would soon be beyond any help. Of course, the antidote would still work at the moment, but Jack would keep Jackson from helping Lisa. Jack was very good at sabotaging Jackson's plans. His hatred towards Lisa allowed Crane to use her as a guinea pig. So what if she was his brother's wife? She was going to die eventually, after Crane had his fun torturing her with her fear of Jackson.

The one thing that Crane did not foresee was Jackson being in control and playing along with the game—only to change the ending…

**Author's Notes:**

A few hints of foreshadowing and some more detail into Crane's plan. The move to Gotham will be in the next chapter. Sorry that it took me so long to update. School was evil this week, but now it's calming down and there should not be any long pauses between updates anymore.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Sixteen**

Crane transported the injured Rippners from the hospital via an ambulance. From there, the ambulance went to a private local airport. Crane helped Jackson board the plane, while the 'EMTs' that had driven the ambulance moved the sedated Lisa.

It was hard for Jackson to resist caring for Lisa. Crane had sedated her in the hospital and drove her even crazier as he had approached with the needle. Hearing Lisa's screams had hurt, but there was nothing that he could do. He feigned pleasure at the sound of her screams, imitating Jack's feelings towards Lisa. Jack hated Lisa with a passion and wanted nothing more than to see her suffer and eventually kill her.

But Jackson was torn. He knew that he had to be Jack to gain Crane's trust, yet he wanted to comfort and care for Lisa in her time of need. He had sworn to protect her at all costs, and so far, he was failing miserably.

"Jack? You ready?" asked Crane's eager voice from his seat beside Jackson. Lisa was farther back in the plane and restrained to her seat.

"Of course," lied Jackson, with an evil sneer. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seemed to disappear for a moment there—I thought Jackson had come back."

"The slimy coward tried, but I refused. He's been moping ever since the bitch went crazy," Jackson spat.

"Once we get settled and down to business, I'll help you remove Jackson for good," Crane said with a smug smile.

More like Jack would be removed. Jackson was not about to let his other half win. This was his life and he was going to keep it and he would fix it.

"Good."

A groan sounded from Lisa. She was starting to come around. Jackson flicked her blue-eyed gaze towards her and watched her shift slightly in her seat and slowly opened her eyes.

"Jackson?" she murmured and his heart leapt into his throat. He wanted so badly to go to her.

"Finally back to your senses, I see, Mrs. Rippner," Crane stated and Jackson knew that Crane had used an antidote to reverse the affects of Lisa's insanity.

"You," hissed Lisa, her disgust for Crane apparent. "What did you do to me? Where is Jackson?"

"I only gave you a taste of your fear," grinned Crane.

Fear. So that's why Lisa went crazy and thought that Crane was him! The powder made her feel fear!

"Where's Jackson?" she questioned, eyes darting around.

"I'm sorry, but Jackson's not in at the moment, Leese," snarled Jackson. "Would you like me to kill you for him?"

Lisa trembled in fear until she noticed the softness and warmth in his blue eyes. Jackson was trying to convey a message to her. He was _pretending_ to be Jack! He was not really going to hurt her. She blinked in understanding.

"Get away from me!" she cried ad Jackson approached her.

"I get the honor of killing you, and if you're lucky, I might just let Jackson say good-bye," Jackson sneered, placing his face near hers as he wrapped his left hand tightly around her throat.

Jonathan Crane watched in horror as Jack's hand tightened and Lisa began to gasp for breath.

Jack was going to kill Lisa! He had to stop his brother before he ruined his plans!

"Hey! Stop it, Jack!" snapped Crane, digging his nails into Jackson's wrist, trying to pry his hand from Lisa's throat. He could not have Jack kill Lisa this soon. He needed Lisa to help with his plans.

Jackson growled at Crane, but released his grip on Lisa. Hatred blazed in his cold eyes. And that hatred was directed at _Crane_.

Jonathan felt his blood run cold. He was standing face-to-face with a killer. Jackson Rippner was a killer. Sure there was Jack, but Jack had not appeared until after Jackson committed his first crime—the murder of his own parents.

Surely, Jackson would have no problem killing his brother…

* * *

Jackson wanted to kill Crane right then and there. But he knew that he could not afford to. After all, he did not know how long the antidote would last and why it affected her so strongly in the first place. He would not risk Lisa's safety or sanity. And as much as he hated to admit it, he needed Crane's help to rid himself of Jack for good. Once Jack was gone, and Lisa was safe, Jackson was free to kill Crane and escape.

"_For the sake of time and sanity, let's break this down into a little male-driven, fact-based logic…" Jackson_ _explained to an upset Lisa._

"I know you want to kill her, Jack, but now's not the time for revenge. My friend would like to see how my toxin works and she is a perfect subject," Crane said, patting Lisa's curly head.

When Crane removed his hand, it hung in front of Lisa's face for a moment too long. Lisa bit his hand and caused him to cry out in pain. With his good hand, Crane shot a stream of powder into her pale face.

Lisa screamed and Jackson pulled Crane away from her. Crane's left hand was bleeding slightly and he was clearly in agony.

"What should I do?" Jackson questioned. "You made it worse!"

"I thought you liked the gas. It's a punishment."

"For who? Us or her? I can't hear myself think with her screaming like that!" pointed out Jackson. There was nowhere to go to avoid her piercing cries.

"Here," Crane pressed a needle into his open right hand. "Administer this. It'll counteract the toxin and put her to sleep."

Jackson took the antidote and he knew that the effects of the needle in his hand were only temporary. He would need to create something long-lasting to protect Lisa and himself from the crazy Crane and his fear toxin. The current antidote did not prevent the effects from the powder returning.

Lisa's eyes grew wider and her movements became more frantic. She screamed and struggled, and her intentions were clear to Jackson. She was scared out of her mind of him and wanted to escape him. She was afraid of what he might do to her.

Jackson wanted to assure her that it was okay, but Crane was still watching. He had to protect his true identity to protect Lisa.

"Get away!" she cried out, shrinking away from him. "Jackson, stop him! Stop Jack! Don't let him do it!"

Jackson gritted his teeth and grabbed Lisa's chin with his left hand. She struggled harder. He took a deep breath and begged for forgiveness for what he was about to do. He delivered a powerful head-butt and Lisa passed out. He placed her head in a semi-comfortable position before her jabbed her limp arm with the needle and injected the antidote.

He straightened his jacket, which fit him awkwardly because of the sling upon his right arm. He dropped the empty needle into a trashcan before returning to his seat beside Crane.

"Did you see what she did to my hand?" questioned Crane, looking pitifully at his swollen, bitten hand.

"Suck it up. You got off easy," Jackson snapped, annoyed and angry, as he showed Crane the discolored hole in his throat. Even after all these years, the pen wound was still extremely noticeable and a nuisance for him.

"She's a feisty little bitch, isn't she?"

"You have no idea," muttered Jackson. His Lisa was a fighter. He had made her that way. She had refused to be a victim again and he had pushed her until she had snapped.

**Author's Notes:**

I'm so sorry that it took me so long to type up this chapter. I've had it all week, but pre-mid-term madness got to me. I'm going to try to update again tomorrow to make up for the slacking off. Enjoy!


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Seventeen**

Jackson felt relieved once the plane landed, and he disembarked with Crane, who was still upset about his hand. Lisa slept on, knocked out by the combination of his head-butt and the antidote. Jackson ignored her, as two orderlies from Arkham Asylum removed her still form from the plane, and took her away to a transport that Jackson could not see. Clearly, he was not going the same place as Lisa.

"I've got to take care of this hand before we head over to Arkham," Crane explained, leading the way to his car. "Can you handle driving?"

Jackson raised an eyebrow. He was not much better off than Crane at this present time. He had little use of his right arm thanks to Lisa's damn fine aim. Plus, he was well-known for his reckless driving skills.

"I can, but can _you_ handle me driving?"

"How bad could it be?" Crane asked weakly and Jackson rolled his eyes. The doctor was in for a big surprise.

Crane tossed Jackson the keys and he climbed in the driver's seat, eager to scare the crap out of Crane. Jackson knew exactly what he was doing when it came to driving a car, but Crane did not know it. He would give him a little taste of his own medicine as mini-revenge for harming Lisa. Not that Crane would connect the two.

He slipped his arm out of the sling and flexed it several times before turning the key in the ignition and shifting the car into drive. "Fasten your seatbelt," warned Jackson and he smirked as he heard Crane fumbling with the seatbelt. "Now, where am I going?"

* * *

A white-knuckled car ride later, Jonathan fell out of the car as Jackson came to a screeching halt in the driveway. He could have sworn that Jackson was driving poorly on purpose. But he did not dwell on Jackson's driving skills long as he emptied his stomach into a nearby hedge.

Jackson snorted and Crane shot him a dirty look. He longed to shoot his brother with a dose of the fear toxin—just to teach him a lesson. But the fact of the matter was that Jonathan needed Jackson on his side. Jackson was powerful ally and an even more powerful enemy.

"Feel better yet?" Jackson questioned, his blue eyes focusing on the identical blue eyes that glared at him from behind a pair of glasses.

"Between you and your blasted wife, I'm feeling just peachy," hissed Jonathan.

"Awe, that's just too bad."

Sure. Like Jackson _really_ cared. Jackson did not even know that they were related and Jackson was a logic-based person, like Jonathan was, not an emotional person. Emotions had no place in the mind. They made people weak and prone to fear. Jonathan thrived on other people's fear.

"Well, will you open the door?"

Jackson stopped twirling Jonathan's key ring long enough to unlock the front door. Jonathan sighed and shook his head. It was hard to believe that this psycho was his twin brother.

"Stay put," ordered Jonathan, as the two entered the house and Jonathan disappeared down a darkened hallway.

Jonathan entered the fancy bathroom and immediately reached for the rarely-used first aid kit. He cleaned the dried blood and bite marks left by Lisa Rippner's attack from his hand, before wrapping the wound with gauze.

Once satisfied with the wrapping job, Jonathan left the bathroom and trekked back down the hall to where he had left Jackson. Just as he had expected, Jackson was gone, off searching his house. It figures that he would waste his time to trying to find out about Jonathan. There was nothing in the house that showed his darker side. He was smarter than Jackson in that respect. According to his research, Jackson had been caught with documents regarding jobs in his house several times. That was why Lisa left him shortly before the birth of the twins.

Jackson would not find anything in his house regarding his fear toxin. All of that information was kept hidden at Arkham. Where they would be headed as soon as he found Jackson…

A dark-haired head popped back into the entrance hall. "Ah, there you are," remarked Jackson.

"Where were you? I told you to stay put!"

"Just walking around," smirked Jackson. "Chill out, doc."

"Let's go, and I'm driving this time. Give me the keys," ordered Jonathan, his hand out for his key ring.

"If you say so."

Jackson dropped the keys into his palm and opened the door for Jonathan. He did not know _what_ to make of his brother. Jackson was a strange one and he would have fun figuring out all of his problems, once the deal with Ra's Al Ghul was taken care of and Lisa Rippner was terminated by mental instability or Jackson's hands.

* * *

Johnson wearily plopped down into the plush leather desk chair in his office. Lisa Rippner had gotten the better of him. All of the Rippners had.

A few men from the company had dragged him from the safe house before the emergency vehicles arrived. The Rippner family had escaped, but that was with two of them listed in critical condition. Lisa and Jackson had attacked each other in front of their children. Jack had come back for revenge and Lisa had stopped him.

He had just gotten word from a contact at the hospital about the arrival of Dr. Jonathan Crane. Dr. Crane was to give Jackson Rippner a mental evaluation and provide one for Lisa Rippner as well.

The phone rang and Johnson picked it up.

"Johnson," he answered.

"Mr. Johnson, I'm afraid we have a problem," spoke the contact at the hospital.

"Well, what is it?"

"They're gone sir—all of them. All four of the Rippners are gone."

Shit! There was no way that this could be happening! They should not be able to travel and at least not without the help of another person.

"When?"

"Lisa and Jackson Rippner were slated to be transferred to a mental hospital by a Dr. J. Crane. When I went to check on them, they were already gone. As for the children, they were taken away by a Joe Reisert," reported the contact.

"Where were they being transferred to?"

"Arkham Asylum in Gotham City. Dr. Crane runs the facility."

Crane. Why did that name suddenly seem familiar? Where had he come across that name before? Papers following a discussion with an affiliate of the company had mentioned a man named Crane in conjunction with Rippner. What had the paper said?

Johnson hung up the phone quickly and began shifting through the papers upon his desk. It had to be there somewhere!

Sure enough, he found the paper and in black-and-white it said that Dr. Jonathan Crane was the long-lost twin brother of Jackson Rippner. They were separated at birth and neither of them knew of the other until recently. A man was working with Crane to produce some toxin and he recognized the young man and thought he was Jackson Rippner, who he had worked with before. Of course, the man was not Jackson, but the research produced the information about the two brothers. Now Jonathan Crane knew, but Jackson still knew not.

And now Crane was working with the company to take down the Rippners and put Jack in control.

What a mixed-up family…

* * *

Jonathan drove the car into Arkham Asylum and Jackson could not help but gawk at the sight of the building. So this was where the mad doctor worked and where Lisa was being kept. Great…

Arkham Asylum was situated on an island, far away from the main part of Gotham City. It was rather a strange structure. But that was mainly because it was used to house mental patients or what was known as mental patients.

"Come on, I'll show you around," Crane called eagerly as he headed towards the double doors.

Jackson paused for a moment. As soon as he stepped inside the building, then he would be in Crane's domain. In Crane's domain, anything was game. He had seen that in the way that Crane had handled Lisa. Crane ruled Arkham Asylum and what he said was law. Jackson had no power once he entered Arkham. Crane was in control and Jackson was just a bystander. Crane could do whatever he wanted to Lisa inside that building and there was not a damn thing that Jackson could do to stop it.

With a deep breath, Jackson crossed the threshold and entered Crane's private world. What Crane did inside those walls was Crane's business and no one else's.

If only he could have known then exactly what Crane was up to. Then he would have _never_ stepped inside those walls. Except maybe to rescue Lisa…

He was not going to leave Lisa at the hands of this madman. He would not do that. He loved her far too much to leave her at Crane's mercy. He was going to rescue her, no matter what he had to do first. He would work for Crane and do his bidding, just to save the love of his life.

Jackson did not care anymore about good and evil, black and white. He never really had, but when he married Lisa, he had intended to only be good and only do good things. And since the birth of the twins, he had kept his past in check, until now. He would do whatever it took to get his family back and to disappear for good.

Jackson was desperate. And desperate times called for desperate measures…

**Author's Notes:**

This was a pretty long chapter! I promised that they would get to Arkham, so they did. Enjoy! Next chapter coming soon.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Chapter Eighteen**

"Shall we check on Mrs. Rippner first, or would you like to see where I create the fear toxin?" Jonathan questioned.

"The fear toxin of course," Jackson lied. In his heart, he wanted to see Lisa first, but that would give him away. He needed to think like Jack and Jack would be interested in the fear toxin. "What caused you to create it anyway?"

"When I was younger," Crane said stiffly, as if the memories were unpleasant. "I was teased by my peers. I became fascinated with fear and I believed that the mind was more powerful than anything else was. I vowed revenge for everything and the toxin is my way of revenge."

"Revenge created me," Jackson said, nodding in understandment. "Jackson's thirst for revenge created me."

"He no longer wants revenge, does he?"

"He did in the beginning, but when I started hurting Lisa, he stopped wanting revenge. He wanted to protect his bitch from me. Lot of good that did him," snorted Jackson.

"Jack, did your parents ever tell you that you were not an only child?"

"No. They never told me anything. Roberts found me."

What was Crane getting at? What did having a half-brother have to do with his wanting revenge?

"Not just Roberts. A full-blooded sibling."

"What are you saying?" questioned Jackson, wondering what the hell was going on.

"You have a twin brother, Jack. Or Jackson does…Whatever. I'm your brother."

Jackson's jaw dropped. How was this possible? Why had he never known? Why was it secret? Why was Crane telling him this?

* * *

Lisa woke to find herself in a dank and dim room. She was inside Arkham Asylum, in one of the rooms. She was no longer restrained and she was wearing the standard clothing of an inmate. A thin blanket covered her body.

The heavy door creaked open and a nurse came in.

"Mrs. Rippner?" called the nurse.

Lisa remained quiet.

A gentle hand shook her. She remained still, trying to play asleep.

"Mrs. Rippner? Wake up."

Lisa had a better idea. She began to play dead. Jackson had taught her a long time ago how to appear dead, except for when hooked up to monitors. She stopped her breathing and slowed her racing heart.

The nurse tried to take her pulse, with no luck. She listened for breathing and rolled Lisa over to watch her chest rise and fall. Lisa remained still.

"Help! I need some help in here!" called the nurse, rushing from Lisa's room and leaving the door open.

Lisa jumped from the bed and raced out into the hallway. She slipped into the nurse's area and stole a uniform. She switch clothes quickly and slipped out of the asylum and into the rapidly falling dark. She was not about to stay in the asylum. Crane was up to something and she refused to be a part of it.

She was never going to be a victim again. She absolutely refused. She would return to her children and disappear. When Jackson figured out whatever he was searching for, he would find her. She would look for him for a short period of time, but after that, she was disappearing for good.

* * *

Rachel Dawes noticed the battered young woman the moment she stepped onto the monorail after work. She was huddled in a dark corner and wearing clothes several sizes too large for her. Her brown eyes were rimmed red from crying and there were visible bruises upon her slender throat. Her curly hair was a tangled mess and Rachel could tell that there was something seriously wrong and this woman was not from Gotham City. She was a stranger.

"Miss?" Rachel questioned, approaching the woman, who shrank farther into the corner. "Are you okay?"

"What do you want?" the woman asked suspiciously.

"You looked like you were hurt. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not okay," snapped the woman. "They took everything from me. My whole family is gone."

"What happened?" Rachel asked, concern flooding her voice as she sat down beside the woman. "Maybe I can help."

"No one can."

Rachel could sense that this woman was hiding some terrible secret. Someone or someones, had seriously hurt her. She really wanted to help her. In any way possible.

"I'm an assistant at the DA's office. Maybe we can prosecute whoever did this to you…"

"It wasn't Jackson's fault," whispered the woman, shaking her head. "He never meant to hurt me. He did not want to. But the other man, he had the same eyes, yet they were so cold."

"Who's Jackson?"

"My husband," she smiled, showing Rachel her wedding ring. "And the father of my two children."

"Children? How old are they?" Rachel inquired, wondering if Jackson abused this woman and she refused to leave because of the children. It was common in cases of battered women.

"Five years old. They are twins. They look so much like Jackson—they have the same striking blue eyes…" her voice trailed off.

Blue eyes. Striking blue eyes. Who did she know with blue eyes? She knew of Dr. Jonathan Crane over at Arkham Asylum, but he was certainly not named Jackson and as far as she knew—he was not married nor did he have any children. Yet, the woman was were an Arkham Asylum uniform. Was she an escaped inmate or a worker? Was there some connection between her and Jonathan Crane?

"Where are they now?"

"With my father, back in Miami. Provided that they have not been found yet by them."

"By who?" Rachel wanted to know. She had clearly said 'them', not 'him'.

"The company. They want us dead. All four of us."

Four of them? The woman and her two children made three, so who was the fourth one? Her husband? But then why was she alone? And who would want them dead?

"Who?"

"The company. Jackson used to work for them as a manager before we married. We had an agreement and they broke it. They came after us."

"What's your name?"

"Lisa," smiled the woman. "Lisa Rippner."

"It's nice to meet you, Lisa. Do you need somewhere to stay?" offered Rachel. She would help protect Lisa and find out what was really going on.

"That would be great," sighed Lisa. "I'm a stranger here."

"You'll learn a lot about Gotham rather quickly. It's a dark place. But luckily, no one will hurt you when you're with me."

"Why's that?" asked Lisa, intrigued by Rachel's words.

"Because," Rachel said, pulling her Taser out. "Of this."

The two women shared a smile. No one would hurt them that night. But it was only a matter of time before Lisa was tracked down and found. That was when the trouble would begin.

**Author's Notes:**

Just wait until Crane finds out that his 'patient/experiment' escaped! He's going to be ticked! Enjoy! Next chapter soon!


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or to _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Nineteen**

A loud speaker interrupted Jonathan and Jackson before they could enter Jonathan's toxin room. It also filled the empty silence that had been left by Jonathan's pronouncement of his relation to Jackson. Jackson's head was still spinning from the information that Crane was his brother.

"Dr. Crane, paging Dr. Crane. This is an emergency!" shrieked the loud speaker and Jonathan sighed.

"Well, let's go see what it's about," Jackson suggested and Crane led the way back to the main desk.

"Dr. Crane!" exclaimed a frantic nurse, rushing towards the pair. Jackson hung back, and kept his hands deep in the pockets of his dress pants. His right shoulder ached, but he ignored it. He refused to wear the debilitating sling any longer.

"What is it?" questioned Crane, trying not to snap and to remain calm.

"One of the patients—the new transfer—she's dead!" cried the nurse. "I went in to check on her and she's dead!"

"Show me," ordered Crane and the nurse led the way to Lisa's room.

The nurse stayed in the hallway as Crane entered the room, taking note that the door was ajar. Jackson followed his brother—as strange as it seemed—out of curiosity.

Inside the room, the bed was empty and the blanket was tossed in a pile. Someone had clearly left in a hurry. Crane's blue eyes narrowed behind his glasses. She had escaped! Just what he need was _her_ on the run. Ra's al Ghul was on his way and eager to see a test of the toxin. The perfect experiment was gone—vanished into the night.

"What's going on?" Jackson asked Crane.

"She's gone," muttered Jonathan, running a hand through his dark hair. "She's gone!"

"Who?"

Jonathan turned to face his twin brother, ice-cold eyes blazing with hatred. Jackson knew who it was before Jonathan even spoke her name.

"Lisa Rippner—your damn wife!"

Jackson froze. This was extremely bad news! How was he supposed to help her now, when he could not find her? Oh Lisa, why did she have to run?

"She couldn't have gone far," Jackson reassured Jonathan. "We'll find her."

Jonathan nodded and rushed back to the main desk. "There's an inmate loose in the building. Initiate lock-down immediately. She must be found," ordered Crane, keeping his cool, despite the situation.

"Now what?" rasped Jackson, rushing up to Jonathan's side.

"We find her."

"How hard can it be?"

"You tell me, Jack. Where is she likely to hide—what is she likely to do? You know her better than anyone except Jackson…" Jonathan said, trying to pry information from him.

Jackson swallowed hard. Crane was itching to gas Lisa again. She had disobeyed him and defied him. She was testing him and he hated it. He wanted to teach her a lesson—and he needed Jackson's help to do so. Crane was using him as a bloodhound to track down and trap Lisa.

What was he to do?

* * *

Rachel loaned Lisa some clothes, once they arrived at Rachel's brownstone. Lisa was grateful for clothes that fit and thanked her profusely.

"No problem," Rachel replied.

"I guess you want to know why I'm in Gotham," Lisa said quietly. "It's only fair that I tell you after all that you've done for me."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I need to tell someone. I need help to get out of the city."

"Why? What's going on?"

Lisa sighed deeply and glanced down at the floor for a moment before meeting Rachel's eyes. "About three days ago, my house was leveled in an explosion. That's when it started."

An explosion? Was it caused by the people that wanted her dead? Rachel had so many questions, but she kept them to herself. Hopefully Lisa would answer them without her prying.

"Later that night, my children were kidnapped and Jackson, oh god, Jackson lost control. Jack came back that night."

"Who's Jack?" questioned Rachel.

"Jackson's other half—his split personality. Jack hates me with a passion and was conspiring to have me and Henrietta and JR killed. He blames me for everything."

Split personality…interesting. Was there a connection between Jackson and Dr. Crane? Dr. Crane was a psychiatrist and this would be right up his alley. Did he know about Jackson? Was he one of the people after them? Rachel would love to get Crane for something—the loathsome doctor had once again gotten a criminal off jail time due to his psychobabble. He had to be stopped…

Lisa continued, "I escaped Jack and managed to rescue the twins. I ran into Jackson again and he—he stabbed me with a knife. I shot him in the shoulder and we both ended up in the hospital. There's a restraining order against him that my father ordered and he was having a mental evaluation done."

"Who did his mental evaluation?"

"Uhh," Lisa thought for a moment, forcing her toxin-addled brain to think back. "A Dr. Crane, Dr. Jonathan Crane."

So there was a connection to Crane! Why was Crane even at the hospital? He was supposed to be at Arkham Asylum, tending to his criminally insane patients—some of which were just plain criminals—and preparing to meet her in court the following day.

"Did you ever meet Dr. Crane?"

"Yeah, he's the reason I'm here. He drugged me with some kind of powder. He made me insane and took me away from Miami. I though he was Jackson at first."

"Why would you think that?" Rachel asked. There was something very strange going on and she knew that Crane was behind it all. But what was going on?

"He's a copy of my Jackson—they have the same eyes, same build, same hair color. Expect Jonathan dresses differently than Jackson and he wears glasses. They look like twins!" remarked Lisa, after picturing both her husband and the psychotic doctor in her mind.

A Crane look-a-like? This was just getting better and better… She would be able to find something for sure that was illegal. Lisa's information would help her finally nail Crane. She would bring Crane down and take him away from his precious asylum. He would no longer take criminals out of prison for Falcone.

"He took us to his asylum. I escaped and got on the monorail. I know that he's looking for me. I've got to get out of this city before he finds me!" panicked Lisa, the fear toxin beginning to show again.

"Calm down," Rachel said calmly. "He's not going to find you here. No one is."

"What about Jackson? What if he hurts him? And my children… Oh I left them…" Lisa was now close to tears.

"I'll help you get your children back and I'm sure Jackson will be fine," Rachel reassured her. "Now, where are they?"

"My dad's. I need to call him."

"Okay, there's the phone," Rachel pointed out. "Take as long as you need. If you can have them flown in, I'll help you pick them up from the airport."

"Thanks," muttered Lisa, striding towards the phone. She was going to get her children back and then they would disappear. Crane would be looking for her and so would the company. She needed to leave soon.

**Author's Notes:**

The next chapter's going to be about the trial at the beginning of Batman Begins and we should see Batman/Bruce Wayne soon!


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty**

Crane leaned closer to the microphone as he delivered his final statement—and one that shocked Rachel Dawes.

"In my opinion, Mr. Zsasz is as much a danger to himself as to others," Crane glanced towards the flunky of Falcone. This was part of the deal that got him the flowers with which he created his toxin. Falcone brought the flowers in and Crane helped give testimony to get his crooks off easy. "And prison is probably not the best environment for his rehabilitation."

Rachel was furious. How dare Crane do this, yet again? She wanted to strange the thin man, especially after what Lisa had told her last night. The poor young woman was still staying at her place, while she waited for her father to bring her children in by plane.

Rachel followed Crane out of the courtroom and noticed that he met up with a young man his age in a business suit. They stood at the same height and both men had dark hair, though it was styled differently. The second man must be Jackson. She could not see any difference in the two men from the back, but Lisa had told her some differences, such as a round, red-colored scar on Jackson's throat, near the collar of his dress shirt.

"Dr. Crane!" Rachel called after the two men, who paused and turned around to face her. She was struck by the obvious resemblance.

Two sets of blindly blue eyes stared her down; Crane's peering at her through his glasses. Jackson wore no glasses and his eyes held a softer look to them. He looked like the nice guy that Lisa had assured he that he was. But then what was he doing hanging around Crane?

"Ah, Miss Dawes," Crane commented, clearly disgusted at the sight of her.

"Do you really think a man who butchers people for the mob doesn't belong in jail?" Rachel questioned, knowing that she had to keep Lisa out of this discussion. She did not want to lose all the information that she had against Crane so soon.

"I would hardly have testified to that otherwise, Miss Dawes." (AN: Not sure of exact wording here…)

"This is the third of Carmine Falcone's thugs that you've seen fit to have declared insane and moved into your asylum."

"Well, the work offered by organized crime must have an attraction to the insane," insisted Crane coolly. Jackson's eyes darted between Rachel and Jonathan

"Or the corrupt."

"Um, Miss Dawes is it?" Jackson intervened. "I'm afraid that Dr. Crane is a little busy at the moment. If you have any further accusations, I'm sure that you can bother him another time."

A smile—or was it a devious smirk?—came from Jackson before he turned away from Rachel and started walking, Jonathan at his heels.

"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the escape from last night, now would it?"

Jackson and Jonathan froze. They shared a look before turning around once more to face Rachel.

"If it does, I fail to see what it has to do with you," remarked Crane, turning and leaving the conversation once more.

Rachel was about to follow them, and pester them some more, when Carl Finch, the DA, grabbed her arm and stopped her. As he talked to her, Crane and Jackson disappeared from the courthouse and she assumed they were headed back to Arkham Asylum.

* * *

"Annoying little pest, isn't she?" Crane asked Jackson.

"Who? Dawes?"

"Who else? Well, your disappearing wife is a pest too. Just wait until I find her…" Crane glanced at his arm, where Jackson knew he was hiding some fear gas.

Jackson gulped, when Crane was facing away from him. He would not let Jonathan Crane touch Lisa again if he could help it. He still had not learned enough from Crane to leave, but he would not risk Lisa anymore. He worried about her, escaping into a strange city. He knew that she was no longer in the Asylum, despite what Crane thought. No, Lisa would have left the building as soon as she escaped.

He could only hope that he would find her before something terrible happened to her…

* * *

A while later, in an apartment in the Narrows, Jonathan Crane led Jackson and a small group of Falcone's thugs inside, where they would destroy the evidence. All Jackson could see were stuffed animals. Jonathan had asked for his help in planning the evidence removal, and though Jackson dearly wanted to make a bomb, it would not have worked for this situation. So, instead he came up with a simple torching plan, which Jonathan seemed to like.

"Get rid of all traces," ordered Jonathan, shinning a high-powered flashlight around the dismal apartment.

The men began spreading the gasoline around, whilst Jackson took in his surroundings. Jonathan had told him very little about what was going on. Jackson was normally kept in the dark about the psychiatrist's dealings. Jonathan claimed to be worried about Jackson, and kept 'Jack' on a need-to-know basis. But it was only a matter of time before Jackson figured everything out. For now, he just observed.

Jonathan walked over towards an open window. Outside, the rain was pouring down. A loud sound—like shattering glass—caught his attention and he spun away from the window. Jackson too, heard the noise and rushed towards the sound.

Meanwhile, a thug prepared to torch the apartment, but was stopped by a person dressed completely in black. He fought the thug and Crane—how could he have possible slipped his mask on that fast?—sprayed him with the same powder that he had hit Lisa with several times.

The man in black, a bat-like figure, coughed. Jackson froze.

"Aw, having trouble?" came Crane's voice. "Take a seat. Have a drink."

Jackson was speechless. He had never seen this side of Crane before. Did mental illness run rampant in his family? He sure as hell hoped not…

Crane poured some flammable liquid upon the figure before continuing. "You look like a man who takes himself way too seriously… "

What was Crane doing? Why was he acting this way?

"Do you want my opinion? You need to lighten up!" Crane clicked a lighter and tossed it towards the bat-man.

In an instant, the man cloak in black lit up. And then he ran towards a window, and jumped out. Suicidal…something that Jackson would never be unless he lost Lisa and the twins.

"Jonathan," he urged, grabbing the crazy doctor by the back of his suit as the apartment shot up in flame. "We've got to get out of here!"

Crane hissed at him before pulling off the sack-like, burlap mask and slipping his glasses back on. Jackson looked in his eyes, and he knew that Crane was no longer sane. The doctor had lost himself to the same inner demons that Jackson himself was fighting. He was more dangerous than he looked.

With a maniacal glint in his eyes, and a smile upon his face, Jonathan shoved Jackson harshly into the flames and hissed, "Enjoy the fire, _Jackson_!"

Jackson stumbled and fell into the center of the room. Jonathan disappeared as the flames sealed off the exit. He collapsed, hopelessly, onto the floor. The growing, hungry flames surrounded him. He was going to die here.

No, wait, there was a bathroom—with water. He could see it through the fire. If he could get to the water, he might have a chance. The flames near the bathroom were still low enough for him to make a running leap over them. He took the chance and landed hard on the floor. Panting, he pulled himself up to the sink.

Shaking hands turned the facet on full blast. The busted facet sprayed water all over Jackson's face—a stark contrast to the heat of the fire. Jackson stood up and shrugged his jacket off. He doused it in the water, soaking the material, before doing the same to his dress pants. Once soaking wet, Jackson turned to face the wall of flames. If he were lucky, he would not get burned. It was not the smartest thing, but it was his only option if he wanted to live.

Taking a deep breath, Jackson threw himself over the flames and back into the center of the room. From there, he raced to the open window and rolled through the flames. His jacket and pants caught fire, but he managed to muster the strength to throw himself out the window. The pounding rain snuffed out the fire instantaneous and Jackson found himself falling down, down…faster still…to the ground.

He should have realized earlier that if the fire didn't kill him, the fall surely would.

**Author's Notes:**

We saw a glimpse of Batman/Bruce Wayne in this chapter and Jonathan's on to Jackson's game. That's why he left him to die. Enjoy! Next chapter soon!


	22. Chapter Twentyone

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye _or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-one**

Rachel returned to her home to see Lisa pacing the floors. Lisa jumped and aimed a gun at Rachel, when Rachel closed the door. Fear showed clearly upon her face. Lisa was scared out of her mind.

"Lisa? Calm down, it's only me," Rachel said, freezing in her footsteps. She did not want to be shot today.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, lowering the gun. "I'm just so worried."

"About?"

"Everything. Jackson, the twins—everything."

Rachel nodded. How could she break the news to Lisa about seeing Jackson? Jackson had seemed nice enough, yet she had her suspicions. No one who was truly good could stand to be in Crane's presence for long amounts of time. She despised the man with every fiber of her being.

"The trial didn't go so well," Rachel sighed, before sitting down on the couch. "He got off."

"How?" inquired Lisa. In Miami, no one got away with any crime once they were caught. How corrupt was Gotham's justice system?

"Crane," spat Rachel. "He lied—I know he did. He testified that he was insane, when he's clearly sane."

"Was…" Lisa's voice grew hopeful. "Jackson there?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I saw him. He sure looks a lot like Crane…"

"I suspect that they're related," Lisa said sadly. "It would not be the first time that Jackson had a psychotic relative who hated me."

"What?"

"Oh, you didn't know. Jackson's older half-brother, Roberts, was mentally unstable. He tried to kill me. He also helped make Jackson who he was. He's part of the reason for Jack," Lisa said bitterly, a scowl upon her face.

Rachel was always amazed by the information that Lisa had to share with her. Lisa's story was unique and very strange. She did not know how the other woman tolerated her life. She must really love Jackson to do through everything that she had been told about.

"Is Jackson…?" Rachel began to question.

"Mental too? I have my doubts. Jackson is fine most of the time. As long as Jack stays away, he's absolutely fine. Jack's the danger—not Jackson. Jackson loves me," Lisa wiped away a stray tear.

Rachel sent Lisa a small smile. She felt extremely bad for Lisa, but what could she do at the moment besides keep her away from the crazy Dr. Crane?

* * *

A day or two later, when Rachel arrived home, it was pouring something fierce outside. She had worked late that night, stumbling into the house at 9:45pm. Lisa barely looked over from her position on the couch. Joe Reisert had been due to fly into the city with the twins that evening, but the weather had delayed his flight indefinitely. Lisa was miserable.

Approximately twenty minutes later, a freshly showered and pj-clad Rachel re-entered the living room to the sound of Lisa screaming. Lisa had fallen from the couch and was staring transfixed and horrified at the small television that she had been watching. Tears filled her eyes as she sobbed openly, weeping at an image upon the screen.

Rachel watched her wordlessly, as Lisa kissed her trembling hand and then placed it upon the screen. What was going on?

"Jackson!" Lisa sobbed loudly. "No, not Jackson!"

Rachel plopped down on the floor beside Lisa, and peered at the screen. It was announcing some accident at an apartment building in the Narrows. Someone had set a fire and a young man had fallen—or jumped, or been pushed—from one of the windows. His figure lay still upon a shattered car. The fire's hungry flames had licked his clothes and long, dark hair covered his closed eyes.

"Rachel," Lisa turned to face her new friend. "It's Jackson. I'm sure of it!"

"I'll go get dressed," Rachel replied, heading back to her bedroom as Lisa continued to cry.

A few minutes later, Rachel escorted Lisa to her car and helped the broken young woman inside. Lisa had told Rachel the name of the hospital where they had taken Jackson. The police had been asking for someone to come and identify him. There was no word on if he had survived or if he had perished in the fall.

Rachel drove them to the hospital and helped Lisa inside, where the distraught young woman had raced full-speed to the front desk. Lisa ran like a woman possessed. Rachel could barely keep up.

"Where is he?" demanded Lisa, her voice growing cold and harsh. "Where is he!"

"Who, miss?" asked the nurse.

"My husband, Jackson Rippner. He was hurt in the Narrows. I saw his body on TV. Where is he?"

"Can you tell me something about him? How I can I be sure that you know him?" the nurse questioned, a routine set of questions that concerned John Does.

"He was a round, red scar upon his throat," Lisa said pointing on her own throat where she had driven a pen into his throat. "Another round scar on his left thigh, two bullet holes in his chest, several in his shoulders—oh, his right shoulder is still healing from a recent bullet—and tons of knife scars."

The nurse was impressed. Their John Doe had been badly beaten and bruised and had various wounds and scars that littered his body. This woman knew about all of them—or at least a majority of them.

"Can I see an ID?" the nurse asked, holding her hand out.

Lisa reached towards her purse automatically before she realized that it was not there. Her purse was back in Miami, in the ruins of their home. "I'm so sorry, but my ID was destroyed in a fire about a week back."

"What's your name?"

"Rippner, Lisa Rippner. My husband's name is Jackson. We're from Miami. Please, let me see him," she begged, tears beginning anew.

The nurse frowned. It was against hospital policy, but the woman knew him and she was too distraught to do anything wrong. She highly doubted that this Lisa Rippner would harm the patient.

"I'll take you back. Oh, who's your friend?" the nurse asked, noticing Rachel for the first time.

"Rachel Dawes, I'm an assistant DA," Rachel introduced herself, her professional title coming in handy for once.

"You can come back too," the nurse said with a nod, leading them down a hallway.

Lisa was anxious to see Jackson. She prayed that he was all right. She did not know what she would do if he were dead.

"It's funny," the nurse remarked as the small group walked. "You're the second person to claim him."

"Oh?" Rachel asked, surprised. She assumed that no one knew Jackson other than Lisa, herself and…

Dr. Jonathan Crane was standing inside the room that the nurse led them to. Lisa let out a scream and began to shake. He spun around and smiled at them.

"You bastard!" screamed Lisa, leaping at the psychiatrist. "What did you do to him! What did you do to Jackson!"

Crane titled his head slightly and peered at her through his glasses. "It's so nice to see you too, Lisa."

The open hostility between the two filled the air, and Jonathan's blue eyes narrowed upon Lisa's tear-filled eyes. He looked ready to rip her throat out and she looked like she wanted nothing more than to gorge out his crystal eyes that were identical to Jackson's.

A moan from the bed stopped them. Lisa flew past Crane and raced to Jackson's side. She grabbed his hand with her right hand and brushed the dark hair out of his flickering eyes with her left hand. She shot a glare towards Crane that told him to get away before she harmed him.

"Don't think I won't be back, Lisa. You belong at Arkham and I'll make sure you stay there," Jonathan Crane promised, before striding out of the hospital room.

Rachel just stood barely inside the door in shock.

"You were an inmate?" she questioned, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No," snorted Lisa, shaking her head. "I was his 'experiment'. His 'plaything' for his powder. He drove me insane."

This just kept getting stranger and stranger…

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry about the delay in posting. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it! Enjoy!


	23. Chapter Twentytwo

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-two**

"Leese…" murmured Jackson, slowly beginning to regain consciousness. "You okay?"

"Yes," she sobbed, tears falling from her green eyes. "Now that I found you. What did he do to you?"

Who? Oh, Crane. She was talking about Crane. Crane was the reason that he had been reunited with her. How did she know where to find him and that Crane was behind everything? If Crane found out about her…he would hunt her down like a dog and torment her with the powder. He could not let that happen again.

"I can't tell you, Lisa. The less you know, the better it is. You have to stay safe. You need to run before he finds you. He's pissed, Leese," Jackson warned, his blue eyes filled with concern for her.

"I'm not leaving you again, Jackson," Lisa said, shaking her head viciously, her curly hair swishing through the air. "Never again."

How could he impress upon her how dangerous Crane was becoming? Crane was his twin brother and he had turned on him, leaving him to die. Crane had wanted him to die at that time. Crane had known that it was Jackson in control and he hated Jackson just as much as Jackson hated Jack.

Jackson knew a bit of Crane's plan, but not enough to keep Lisa safe with him. She was safer away from him. He would find help somewhere and take down Crane. He would save Lisa from the powder and then get the company off their backs. They would go back to Miami, collect the twins, and disappear into the night, never to be found. He would create a story about their deaths, and led people to believe that Jackson, Lisa, Henrietta, and JR Rippner all perished in a fire.

The pain had to stop there. The constant danger had to be taken care of. Their lives could not continue on this path.

"Lisa," Rachel's urgent voice cut through the still air. "We've got to go."

"Who are you?" Jackson asked, noticing the assistant DA for the first time. Was she working for Crane?

"Rachel, Rachel Dawes. We met before. Remember?"

"Ah, Miss Dawes," Jackson said with a smirk. How could he forget the striking woman who annoyed Crane to no end? "How nice to see you again."

"Same. Lisa, we've really got to go."

"What's the rush?" Jackson questioned. He wanted Lisa to leave as much as Rachel was pushing, but he wanted to help her hid. He would need to be able to find her once the danger had passed.

"Dr. Crane—he could be back at any moment,"

"Lisa," Jackson's tone grew gravely serious and his eyes were worried. "Did Crane see you?"

She nodded. "He was here when we arrived."

"You've got to get out of here!" he cried. "You've got to go! He can't be allowed to catch you!"

"I don't care. I don't want to leave you again!"

"Rachel, is there somewhere that you take her, where Crane won't find her?" Jackson asked, feeling foolish about asking a complete stranger for help. But he knew from the short amount of time that he had spent around her that she loathed Crane more than most people could begin to imagine. "He can't find her. If he does…"

"I know a place. Come on, Lisa," Rachel stepped towards her new friend, who was clinging to Jackson's hand desperately.

"No," Lisa refused.

Loud footsteps sounded in the hallway. Voices carried into the room and the three occupants froze.

Crane's voice carried, issuing orders to whoever was with him. "She's dangerous. We can not afford to let her escape again. She's slippery and resourceful, but also incredibly insane. Do not listen to a word she says."

"They're coming for you," Jackson whispered to Lisa. "You have to run. No matter what happens, you have to run. If not for yourself, do it for the twins. They need you, Leese. They need you more than I do."

Lisa kissed Jackson quickly and passionately before reluctantly leaving his side.

"Don't die on me, Jackson," Lisa pleaded. "Stay strong."

"Don't stop running. Always keeping running. Don't look back. Don't ever look back," Jackson ordered, his heart leaping into his throat. He did not want to lose her again, but it was for the best. "And never stop fighting."

Lisa smiled sadly before walking towards the window. That was the only way out now. Their only chance was that small window.

"Like Grandma Henrietta always said, right?" she questioned.

"Yes, Leese. _"Always look forward…"_ Just keep that in mind."

"I will," she said before opening the window. "I promise."

Jackson's smile and happiness faded as Lisa and Rachel disappeared into the stormy night. He slowly wandered over to the window and pulled it shut. He would do his best to help them escape. He would protect Lisa at any cost. He bent under the hospital bed and retrieved a shiny blade from the inside pocket of his ruined jacket. He twirled the KA-BAR with his fingers as he heard the door open.

"Hello, Jackson," called a familiar voice. A voice from his past.

"Hello, Ra's…"

* * *

Lisa and Rachel spirited towards Rachel's car. As soon as Crane discovered that Lisa had escaped his grasp yet again, he would hunt them both. They did not have much time.

"Where are we going?" Lisa questioned, once they were out of the rain and Rachel was starting the engine.

"To an old friend's…Dr. Crane will never find you there. I promise."

Lisa remained silent as Rachel drove out of the city to a rather imposing mansion. How could Rachel possibly believe that she would be safe here?

"Welcome to Wayne Manor," Rachel announced as she drove through the gates. "Alfred will take excellent care of you and I'm hoping Bruce won't mind you staying for a while."

"Who are these people?"

"Bruce and I were good friends when we were younger. His parents were two of the only good people left in Gotham. They were murdered when we were kids. He's a good man, if not a little odd now. I still believe that he's a good person, even if his actions don't always show it... Alfred's the butler and I know that he'll help you out."

Lisa nodded. If Rachel trusted these people, than how bad could it be?

Rachel parked beside the front door and raced up to knock on the grand door. Lisa followed her, noticing a car parked not too far away from the front of the mansion. Who else was there?

An older man, very proper he seemed, answered the door. "Miss Rachel, what a surprise it is to see you at this hour."

"Hello Alfred," Rachel greeted him with a smile. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all. Are you here to see Master Bruce?"

"No, I have a favor to ask you. It may seem odd, but would you mind hiding a friend for a few days?" Rachel asked awkwardly.

"You should probably come in then," he said, stepping away from the door. "I do not believe that this discussion should be held in the rain."

"Thank you, Alfred. This is my friend, Lisa Rippner," Rachel introduced Lisa, who had been standing behind Rachel during their entire talk.

"Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise," Lisa smiled. She liked Alfred already. He seemed like a genuinely good person. She had only ever met a few people like that in her life."

"Right this way," he said, leading them into a grand parlor, Lisa assumed. He gestured to the furniture. "Please, have a seat."

Lisa and Rachel gratefully sat down. Alfred remained standing.

"Miss Rippner, is it?" Alfred asked Lisa.

"Missus," she corrected. "I came to Gotham with my husband, Jackson. But he's…he's been hurt."

"What happened?" Alfred asked, concerned.

Lisa knew that she could trust him and before she knew it, she spilled her entire story about the explosion that destroyed her house, running from the company, the fight between her and Jackson, losing her children, meeting Crane, and all of her adventures in Gotham. Alfred listened intently and Rachel did as well. She went more detail than she had with Rachel. Rachel did not seem to mind that Lisa had kept some details hidden from her.

A knock sounded on the open door and in stepped an African-American man. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with Alfred."

"That's quiet all right, Mr. Fox," Alfred spoke to the man. He turned to face Lisa and Rachel. "I will return shortly."

The two women nodded and Alfred disappeared into the hallway with Fox, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Are you worried?" Rachel asked Lisa.

"I'm scared to death," Lisa replied honestly. "Not just for my life though. I want to protect my family too. What am I supposed to do about the twins now? My dad should be arriving any time now…"

"Alfred will help you. I'm sure of it. I would help you, but I think Crane will send someone to watch me. He knows that I helped you now. I'll have to keep away from you until things get straightened out."

Lisa nodded in agreement. Rachel avoiding contact with her would be for the best. Lisa would also have to stay away from Jackson, which was easier said than done,

The door opened, "Mrs. Rippner?" Alfred called.

"Yes?" Lisa answered, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Can you tell Mr. Fox about the powder?" he said quietly.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"Mrs. Rippner, this Dr. Crane has been using this powder on several other people. I'm trying to create an antidote. I need your help and possibly a blood sample. When was the last time that you were exposed to the powder?" Mr. Fox said, intervening.

"Today, I guess. I came in contact with Crane this evening. He did not gas me this time though. The last time that happened was several days ago."

"Could you come with me, please?"

"I guess so," Lisa hesitated.

"It's okay," Alfred reassured her. "He just wants to talk to you about the powder."

Lisa nodded and followed Fox deeper into the house. He knew more about the powder than he was letting on. If he was truly working on an antidote, than Lisa would never have to fear Crane again.

She could be free to help Jackson and stop Crane. She would not have to worry about the powder's affects.

**Author's Notes:**

This ended up being a pretty long chapter. Hopefully it's pretty in character and not too confusing. There's a lot going on and I'm making this all up as I go along, so I don't really know for sure where it's all heading. Enjoy! Next chapter coming soon!


	24. Chapter Twentythree

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-three**

"Mrs. Rippner, what does the toxin look like? What form is it in?" Fox asked as they walked down the lavishly decorated hallway to another room.

"It's like a powder—only it's gas-like. Crane sprays it from some type of canister," Lisa explained as she remembered the whitish puff flying towards her. "It's a choking cloud."

"I see. How long does it take for the affects to vanish?"

Lisa thought hard. Had the powder ever worn off? Or had Crane only ever reversed it?

"No," she shook her head, curls flying wildly. "Crane stopped it with some type of antidote. But it didn't last. When he gassed me again, I always was effected."

"Hmm. How often did Dr. Crane 'gas' you?" questioned Fox.

Lisa was becoming slightly unnerved by Fox's questions. She had never really been prepared to ever answer questions about the toxin. She tried to block out all incidents of the gassing. The memories disturbed her and she wished to keep them vanished. She hated how terrified the gas made her feel.

"When he was mad at me, or mad at Jackson. He didn't dare gas Jackson. He's afraid of Jack."

Crane had fears. If she could turn his own medicine on him, then she could drive _him_ insane. Sweet revenge it would be, against the man who hurt her and Jackson. Crane unknowingly, possibly knowingly as well, had left scars that would never heal upon them both.

"Who are Jackson and Jack? Are they the same person?"

"Yes and no. Jackson is my husband and Jack is his other half—a split personality. Jack is dangerous, but Jackson is just protective. Jackson would do anything to save me, whereas Jack would do everything in his power to kill me," Lisa said, swallowing hard. It always hurt to explain the two sides of Jackson. They were both so…different.

"Is Dr. Crane friends with him?"

"I thought so, until they found Jackson in the Narrows last night. Crane had hurt him. I know he did," Lisa spat, the hatred and anger growing in her voice.

"Mrs. Rippner, you're exhausted. Let's go see if Alfred can find you a room," Fox said gently, leading her back towards the front rooms of the grand mansion. He could tell that she was reaching her breaking point and about to go over the edge. She had told him enough that he should be able to create a true antidote now.

* * *

"Long time no see," Jackson remarked as Ra's Al Ghul casually entered his hospital room. Jackson had been expecting Crane and his flunkies after all the commotion in the hallway.

"Likewise. I must admit my surprise at seeing you in Gotham. I thought the company was keeping you busy in the southern states, along with other countries, these days."

Jackson snorted. "Listen, Ra's, I'm not here by choice. I'm sure that you've figured that out by now. I know that Crane's working for you. Tell me, what do you want with Lisa?"

"Lisa?" questioned Ra's, confused. "Who is 'Lisa'?"

Jackson could not believe this! He knew that Ra's had been lying to him since he had set foot in the dingy room. Ra's had known all along that Jackson was in Gotham. He had been brought there on Ra's Al Ghul's orders, which had been carried out by Crane. His psychotic, psychiatrist brother was in the League of Shadow's pocketbook, mostly likely by being allowed to create the toxin.

"Don't lie to me, Ra's. You know damn well who I'm talking about," snapped Jackson, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. He could feel Jack stirring, begging to be unleashed. No matter what, he had to keep Jack under control. Jack could not win.

"Listen up, Rippner… I don't know what Crane was planning with your wife," hissed Ra's, growing angered. "All I know is that he was going to show me the toxin's affects on a worthy subject."

"Like Lisa."

"Quite possibly. I'm not Crane, so how would I know?"

"You may not be Crane, but you are sure as hell in control of him. You've polluted his mind as much as you once polluted mine. Why don't you tell me what stories you told him? Were they the same lies that I heard?" Jackson goaded the older man.

Jackson would never forget when he met Ra's Al Ghul for the first time. He had been young and impressionable at the time. Ra's taught him many things, but Jackson had never really trusted the man. He figured out why as soon as Ra's tested him by trying to kill him. Ra's had a knack for turning people against family members.

It was all Roberts' fucking fault. He had introduced Ra's and Jackson and Ra's had convinced him to kill his parents. By using Roberts as his messenger, that was. Ra's had also contacted Roberts after the company broadcasted the news of his deflection following the events of the red eye. Roberts coming after Jackson and Lisa had been an indirect test from Ra's, which Jackson had just figured out.

Ra's and company were behind every hell-causing event in his life in recent years.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Ra's warily. He would have to be a fool to not sense Jackson's rising rage. "I didn't lie to you or Crane. I told you both the truth."

"Let's just cut to chase, shall we? What will it take for you to leave me and my family alone?" Jackson questioned, his blue eyes staring down the leader of the League of Shadows.

"Crane can not finish the job on his own. I need you to help him."

"Crane tried to kill me. He doesn't want my help."

"Crane made a mistake, Rippner. He does not want you dead. He lost it for a moment, but he's fine now and he wants your help," Ra's said, trying to place a hold on Jackson using his words again. He was trying to manipulate Jackson, but Jackson was the master at his own game. One just does not try to manipulate a manager.

"Correction: he wants _Jack's_ help. I'm not giving it to him," Jackson said coldly, twirling the KA-BAR in his fingers again. "I'd rather die."

"And leave your children all alone? What a shame…" chuckled Ra's, as if he was sharing a private joke with himself.

In a flash, the blade in Jackson's hand was at Ra's throat, cutting into the skin. "What about my children?" demanded the former manager.

"If you die, you know that it's only a matter of time before we find your family. She can not run and hide forever, you know.We'll find her…and when we do…well, I'll let you think about it."

Jackson dropped the blade, like he had just been stabbed or shot. He stumbled backwards. Ra's was not kidding. He knew that he was being deadly serious. Jackson knew all too well what would happen to Lisa and his children. One of his jobs had taught him that. Ironically, it was a job that Ra's had sent him on.

"I'll help Crane—if and only if—you promise to let us go. No one is ever to come after us again or harm us," Jackson insisted. He would give in, but only on his own terms.

"Agreed," said Ra's, smiling broadly. "Now you had best hurry to Arkham. Dr. Crane is awaiting your arrival."

Jackson nodded and swallowed deeply once Ra's back was turned. This was it. The final tests were coming for him. He could only hope that he was strong enough to pass them and that Lisa would forgive him for whatever sins he committed. He hoped that he would live through it and see his family once more.

Jackson was about to descend into darkness and he hoped that he would eventually ascend back into the light.

**Author's Notes:**

Yikes! I can't believe how long it took me to write this chapter! The good news is that I finished writing an outline for the story this morning and I should hopefully (fingers crossed) become faster with the updates. Hopefully, my tweaks to the story haven't messed it up too badly. Enjoy!


	25. Chapter Twentyfour

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-four**

Lisa phoned her father the following morning. He was luckily still in Miami at the time, though he was preparing to leave for the airport shortly. A cheery Henrietta gabbed to her for a few minutes on the phone. JR remained silent and refused to speak to Lisa.

"They've both been acting strange, Leese," Joe told her, once the twins were out of earshot. "They are actually spending quite a lengthy amount of time away from each other."

"That's because their allegiances are split. JR doesn't trust me and 'etta's scared of Jackson," Lisa said solemnly.

"If you ask me, you should all be afraid of Jackson. He's a cold-blooded killer, Lisa. He's proven it time and time again."

Lisa sighed. She knew what he was saying was true in some ways. Jackson was not the killer though—that was Jack's job. "I know, dad. Believe me, I know. But I still love him. I love Jackson with all my heart."

"I still think he's dangerous."

"How 'bout we discuss this when you come here?" suggested Lisa. This was not a conversation meant for the phone.

"Sure, sweetheart. Our plane should be in soon—will you be meeting us at the airport?"

"I can't," Lisa said reluctantly. "Alfred will meet you. Don't worry, he'll find you. He's a really nice older man—very proper with a British accent," said Lisa, trying to suppress a small smile as she imagined her father meeting Alfred.

"I'll see you soon then, Leese."

"Bye, dad," she said softly as she hung up the phone. She hoped that their flight would be safe. She was still incredibly wary of planes, but it was faster than trains or driving. The sooner she was reunited with her children again, the better she would feel.

* * *

It was late afternoon before Alfred left to collect Joe and the twins. Before he left Wayne Manor, Lucius Fox arrived with several vials of an antidote that he had concocted.

"Lisa," he said in greeting—they were finally on a first name basis.

"Lucius," she said with a smile.

"I've completed the antidote. It should protect you against the toxin."

"That's great news! Lucius, can you tell me why you became so interested in Crane's toxin to begin with?"

Fox sighed deeply. She deserved to know. "Bruce Wayne was hit by the same toxin. He managed to tell Alfred two things before passing out shortly before your arrival. Those words were "poison" and "Crane". The information you told me helped me figure out how to fight the toxin. It's possible that you saved his life."

Lisa was stunned. Why would Crane have gassed Bruce Wayne? When would he have found the time if he was in the Narrows, hurting Jackson? Was it possible that Bruce had a secret that connected him to Jackson and Crane?

"I have a few vials of the antidote for you. One each for you, your children, your father, and the elusive Jackson," Fox said, handing Lisa the vials.

"Do I inject it into a vein?" Lisa questioned, looking at the vials strangely.

"Yes. Would you like me to show you how?" he offered.

Lisa nodded and rolled up her left sleeve. Fax uncapped one of the vials and explained to her what to do before injecting her with the liquid.

"Thanks so much, Lucius."

"Not at all. Now I'd best attend to Bruce with the antidote."

As Fox walked away, a knocking at the front door grabbed Lisa's attention. She peeked out the peephole and noticed Rachel standing outside. She quickly threw open the heavy front doors and ushered the woman inside. She figured that Alfred would not mind Rachel visiting.

"How are you doing?" Lisa asked Rachel.

"Okay, but Jackson disappeared from the hospital. Someone recalls seeing him with Dr. Crane."

"Crane? Are you sure?"

"Positive," Rachel said sadly.

"I can't believe it! Crane tried to _kill_ Jackson, so there's no way he should be around Crane. What does he think he's doing?"

"Hey, Jackson can fend for himself. You just need to worry about yourself and the twins, okay?"

"Thanks, Rachel," said Lisa gratefully, flashing a half-smile at her new friend.

"No problem. I can't wait to finally meet your children. What are their names again?"

"Henrietta and JR," Lisa smiled. It had been so long since she had seen them. The last time she saw them, she had been under the influence of Crane's toxin and on the verge of going insane.

"Any special meanings?"

"Henrietta was my grandmother's name and my middle name. She died shortly before I met Jackson. It was his idea to name her Henrietta Seabreeze Rippner."

Rachel laughed. "After the drink?"

"Yeah. It was my favorite drink. JR was named after Jackson and my dad. His full name is Jackson Joseph Rippner."

"What did Jackson think?" inquired Rachel. From what Lisa had told her before, it seemed that Jackson was really agitated by his name.

"He couldn't protest because he named 'etta," Lisa smiled warmly, remembering that day fondly. They had all been so happy that day.

But Jack had long since shattered that illusion.

The front door opened and in walked a weary Joe Reisert and a bouncy Henrietta. JR was scowling and Lisa was instantly reminded very much of Jackson. Her heart ached for Jackson, longing to be reunited with him as well as her children.

"Mommy!" cried Henrietta in joy, rushing straight to Lisa, who bent down to greet the bundle of energy and dark, curly hair that was her daughter. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, 'etta," smiled Lisa, giving her a peck on the cheek.

JR hung back by Joe. His distrust towards Lisa was apparent. Joe guided him towards Lisa, not allowing him to ignore her. Lisa felt bad that her own children could show such open hostility towards her. Was there anything that day that she could have done differently to prevent this split of loyalties and trust within her own small family?

Rachel, Alfred, and Joe watched as Lisa and JR eyed each other for a moment, each of them waiting for the other to make a move first. Henrietta remained by Lisa's side, having always been mommy's little girl, even though she was close to Jackson—or had been before the 'incident'. How often do your parents try to murder each other in front of your eyes?

"JR, baby," Lisa whispered, her voice pleading. "I'm sorry that I hurt daddy. I know that you don't trust me, and I don't blame you. But I did it to protect you both."

JR listened to her, before shouting, "Daddy's not a bad guy! He don't wanna hurt us!"

"I know, I know. Mommy was scared though. Mommy was scared that daddy would accidentally hurt you and 'etta."

"Daddy won't hurt me," JR said confidently.

How could she explain to her children that Jackson had two sides? That their daddy would not hurt him, but Jack would? How do you tell five-year-olds that their father was mentally unstable and a deranged psycho and sociopath? Or that part of him was?"

"Mommy made a mistake because daddy accidentally hurt me," Lisa told him, telling him the truth. Lisa had never wanted to hurt Jackson, but it had been necessary. If she could go back and change the events of that day, then she would. But she could not. Both her and Jackson had to leave with the choices that they made that day and the consequences of their actions.

"I want daddy!" he cried. "I want to see daddy!"

Lisa winced, close to tears. JR did not know that he was breaking her already injured heart. She wanted him to see Jackson, but there was nothing that she could do at the moment. She had not the slightest clue were Jackson was.

"Baby, I don't know where daddy is," sobbed Lisa, finally breaking down. "I wish I knew. I want to see daddy too."

"Liar!" accused JR before running down the hallway, far away from Lisa and others.

Lisa collapsed to the ground, crying. Her own son had broken her strong will. Her heart plummeted to her feet.

* * *

The following morning, Lisa was wandering the manor when she caught her first glimpse of Bruce Wayne. He was standing, his back turned to her, speaking to Rachel at the front door.

"Hi, Rachel," Lisa greeted, sliding up beside Bruce. "What are you doing here?"

"Just dropping off Bruce's present," smiled the other woman.

"So, you're Bruce," Lisa said, turning to face the man that Rachel had told her so much about.

"And you must be Lisa."

Rachel's cell phone rang, interrupting the awkward silence. Only two words of her quick conversation stuck in Lisa's mind, but those two words frightened her.

"…Dr. Crane…" said Rachel.

Lisa froze and began to shake. Bruce noticed her adverse reaction to Rachel's words.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, concerned.

"Crane…" her green eyes were wide in fright. "He's crazy."

"How do you know Crane?" asked Bruce curiously.

"He, he gassed me back home. He took my children from me and turned my husband and my fears against me. Then he hurt Jackson. I'll kill him…" Lisa swore. Never again would Crane hurt her family. Not if there was anything that she could do about it.

"I've got to go," said Rachel, annoyance crossing her face. "I've got to head out to Arkham."

Lisa shuddered and Bruce asked Rachel, "At this time?"

"Sorry, but Dr. Crane's up to something. I've go to stop him. Bye, Bruce—Leese."

"Rachel, don't go!" pleaded Lisa, rushing towards her friend. "Don't go to Arkham! Crane's crazy! He'll hurt you for helping me escape!"

"That's a risk, I'm going to have to take," Rachel said with a shrug as she turned back to her car and exited the house.

Lisa stood in shock for a few moments, before racing back to her room. She grabbed the vials of antidote and called her father in. She gave him three vials.

"What are these for?" Joe questioned suspiciously.

"They'll stop the toxin. Inject them into yourself, Henrietta, and JR. Don't leave the house," she cried, before tucking one into the hip pocket of her jeans.

"Where are you going?"

"To stop Crane," she said strongly, with a sad smile before racing from the room. She was not just going to stop Crane, but find Jackson as well.

**Author's Notes:**

That chapter took forever to type up. I wrote four pages of it by hand on the bus this morning. Well, the first bus ride. I spent a total of 6 hours on buses today. Damn traffic. Well, next chapter soon. Enjoy and please review!


	26. Chapter Twentyfive

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-five**

Jackson was having a rare moment alone inside the confines of Arkham Asylum. Jonathan Crane had semi-unwillingly reunited with his twin brother, and seemed suspicious of the other man. Jackson did not mind and Jonathan did not dare try anything for fear of angering Ra's Al Ghul, who had ordered them both to work together. Jonathan had explained to him the entire plan and he was worried how Crane's plan would affect his Lisa. He did not know where she was, so he could only hope and pray that she was safe.

A dark figure appeared in the room quietly. Jackson pretended to ignore him as his fingers reached towards his favorite weapon. He would not be caught unawares. There was far too much at stake.

"Where's Crane?" ordered the voice, false-sounding. Someone was trying to disguise his or her voice. But who? And more importantly, who were they working for?

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I don't keep him on a leash," snapped Jackson, his fingers tightly wrapped around his knife.

"What's Crane planning with the toxin?"

"Why should I tell you? I don't know who the hell you are," Jackson spun around, knife poised in the air, ready to strike. He found himself facing the bat-like creature that he had last seen in the apartment that his brother had torched—and tried to kill him in.

"I'm someone who wants to take down Crane just as badly as you do. Will you help me?"

"And hand myself and my family over to his toxin on a silver platter? I think not," snorted Jackson. This was absurd. He was talking to giant _bat_.

"Why are you helping Crane?"

"To save my family. If I help him and the League, then I can save them. I'm not sure how yet, but I'll save them."

"The League? League of what?"

Jackson raised his eyebrows. What did this bat character know? Why was he asking these seemingly random questions? Was he planning on foiling the plans of Crane and Ra's?

"If I tell you what I know, will you help me protect my family?" Jackson offered. He would not risk their lives; even if it were to save many other lives.

The bat-man nodded. "You help me, and I'll help you."

* * *

Rachel strode confidently into Arkham. She was finally going to nail Dr. Crane for his toxin. Falcone could not possibly have become insane this fast without Dr. Crane's interference. He had to have used the toxin. This twisted game ended here.

Until she followed Crane into the room where he 'made the medicines'. The toxin was being mixed below her. Why had Crane taken her there? What was he planning?

Rachel did the only sensible thing that she had done all night—she ran. She flew back to the elevator, pressing all the buttons, praying that it would move, but it did not. It would not budge without Crane's key. It was one of the ways they made sure the inmates stayed locked up.

A cloud of the toxin shot Rachel in the face as Crane, his features hidden by a burlap sack-mask, entered the elevator. Rachel gagged and coughed, trying to stop the toxin that she knew so much about. But it was useless. She lost to the power of the toxin.

* * *

"Rachel Dawes? Are you insane?" questioned Jackson as Jonathan ordered her limp body brought into the toxin room.

"No, unlike you, I'm perfectly sane. If she had gotten away, like your annoying little wife, our plans would have been ruined. I couldn't let that happen," Jonathan argued, snapping at Jackson. Oh, how he longed to gas his brother…

The lights disappeared and the room was plunged into darkness. Jackson was dimly aware of Crane removing the mask and running his fingers through his dark hair. Jonathan looked insane at the moment.

"He's here," muttered Jonathan, not sounding pleased.

"Who?" a voice asked in the inky darkness that surrounded them.

"The Batman."

Batman—the stranger that he had spoken to earlier. Batman was there to stop Crane. He was here to help. Jackson would have to help him. There was no way that one man could thwart Crane and his cronies on their own.

Jackson ignored the conversation between Crane and his workers—it was not important to him. What mattered was stopping Crane and saving his family. That's all that ever mattered anymore.

As he heard Crane's men being dealt with, Jackson moved closer to Rachel. The giant bat seemed to be doing rather well on his own. His job then would be to protect his wife's friend. Rachel had helped Lisa, and now he would help her. He would keep Rachel from Crane.

Unfortunately, he was mistaken and the Batman grabbed him. Jonathan seized the opportunity to flee.

"Hey, get back here!" Jackson yelled after his disappearing brother. He could not be allowed to escape.

It was too late. Jonathan was gone.

"Who are you?" hissed the Batman.

"Jackson. It's Jackson Rippner. Remember me?" he said, trying to reach his knife.

The Batman dropped him, and he fell to the concrete floor. Panting, he struggled to sit up. His blue eyes focused on the bat and he gritted his teeth in pain and annoyance.

"You let him get away!" accused Jackson. "Now he's going to hurt her! He's gonna find Lisa and hurt her!"

* * *

Lisa ran through the dark streets of the Narrows. Okay, she did not have the best of plans, but she had a plan. She was going to sneak into Arkham, find Rachel, and leave. She wanted to deal with Crane, but she was not sure if she would have the time or the resources to fight the psychiatrist.

She never made it to Arkham. A cloud surrounded her and she inhaled the familiar toxin. It had no affect on her, but she knew that it was coming from Crane. She turned around to face him and his arm was outstretched in the air.

The hated mask was covering his face, shielding his likeness to Jackson from her eyes. That made it easier to fight him.

Lisa lashed out, a high kick with her right foot was aimed at his head, but he grabbed her ankle and twisted it. She was knocked off-balance, so she swung a fist at him as she fought to regain her lost balance. She could hear Crane laughing.

She threw her head forward in a powerful head-butt, crashing into Crane's head. He stumbled and she continued her attack.

"Gonna kill me, Leese?" he questioned, his voice painfully reminding her of Jackson. He was trying to imitate Jackson's voice.

"Ye-no, I don't know," she admitted, stopping her attack. She knew that she should continue and beat him into a bloody pulp. He had done nothing but hurt her and he deserved payment for his crimes. She should be the one to administer justice.

"My brother's very worried about you, you know?" he baited her.

"Your brother?" Lisa asked. Could he be talking about Jackson?

"Yes, my twin brother—Jackson."

Lisa gagged and turned to throw-up. No, no it could not be. Jackson could not be Crane's twin! It had to be a lie! It had to!

"Don't fight me," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her throat from behind. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Liar!" hissed Lisa, trying to sense his weak spots so that she could launch another attack. This time, there would be no mercy.

"Well, I'm still mad at you for biting me, but I'm not going to hurt you unless you make me. Or your children…"

"What did you do to Henrietta and JR?" screamed Lisa, fighting his hold. She was not going down without a fight. This monster would not hurt her or her children! Not while she could still fight.

"Nothing, but they're insurance. To keep you and Jackson from doing anything stupid. You play alone and they are fine. Understand?"

"Yes," sobbed Lisa, her lower lip and voice quivering as she ceased her struggles.

"Good girl," he whispered, before slamming her head into a brick wall. He was not going to let her fight him. For some reason, the toxin had not worked. He had no other means by which to subdue her besides brute force. Oh well…

**Author's Notes:**

Yes, I'm changing the storyline of the movie slightly. Crane escaped early, but everything else is still going to be regular. He's going to get a dose of his own medicine soon. Enjoy and please review!


	27. Chapter Twentysix

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-six**

"I'm sorry," apologized the Batman. "Go to your family."

"If I knew where they were, I would, but I made her run because of Crane. I don't know where she is anymore. But Crane will find her if I don't," sighed Jackson, sticking his right hand in his ruffled long hair. Things were not looking good at this point in time.

"Wayne Manor," offered the Batman. "She's at Wayne Manor with two young children and her father."

Jackson's distraught face brightened. "Thank you—but what about Rachel?"

"I'll take care of her," promised the bat. "Now go."

Jackson fled Arkham, taking to the dirty streets of the Narrows. He hopped on the monorail and thought about Lisa, his children, and their future. He had never expected to be a father—his own father had been far from kind—especially not at that moment in time. But Lisa and the twins made it worth the change in plans. He would do anything in his power to protect them.

* * *

When Jackson arrived, a birthday bash for playboy Bruce Wayne was already in full swing. He joined the crowd and quickly swept his long, dark hair over his eyes. It obscured his vision, but it would hopefully defer some of the folks in the ever-growing crowd from asking if he were Jonathan Crane. His usual suit helped him blend in as he worked his way through the mansion.

A familiar face stuck out like a sore thumb in the bustling crowd. It was Joe Reisert, in his normal clothes, unlike the richly attired people surrounding them. He seemed worried about something. Was something wrong? Was Lisa or the twins hurt?

He slided up next to Joe and asked as quickly and calmly as possible, "Joe, where's Leese?"

Joe spun around to face him, clearly shocked by his sudden appearance. "What do you want, Jackson? You're under a restraining order, remember?"

"A damn piece of paper is not going to keep me from my family when they're in danger," hissed Jackson, Jack dangerously close to the surface. "Now, where's Lisa?"

"She tore out of here earlier with some odd instructions for me."

"Where's JR and Henrietta? Did she take them with her?" Lisa would not have already left town, would she? Had she anticipated Crane's escape and fled with the twins?

"No, they're upstairs—Jackson, what's going on?" Joe questioned, grabbing the young man's arm as he turned to leave. "What kind of danger are they in?"

Before Jackson could reply, Bruce Wayne was making a seemingly drunken speech. He tried to free himself from Joe's grip, but it was useless. Joe Reisert was not letting go of his son-in-law until he received some answers.

_"I just want to thank you for…drinking my booze," Bruce began, amid bits of laughter. "No, seriously. The thing about being a Wayne is you're never short of a few free-loaders to fill up your mansion…So here's to _you_ people."_

A brief scuffle ensued and a few words were said before Bruce returned to his speech.

_"To you false friends…and pathetic suck-ups who smile through your teeth at me…You had your fill, now leave me in peace. Get out. Everybody. _Out!_"_

Quickly, people rushed for the front door, leaving only a few people in the mansion. Joe, Jackson, Bruce and few suits remained.

Bruce Wayne seemed familiar to Jackson. Had they met before?

Yes, a long time ago… Ra's had been the reason for their meeting. Jackson had been sent to the far off mountain with the blue flowers at the base. He recalled seeing Bruce Wayne there. Which would make Bruce a member of the League of Shadows…and in league with Crane and the company.

With a hiss, Jackson ripped his arm free of Joe's grip and drew his knife. He stalked towards Bruce, fully intending to kill the other man. Most everyone was already gone and the fewer witnesses that remained, the less of a mess Jackson would have to take care of.

"Hello…again," snapped Jackson, raising the blade as Bruce spun around to face him.

Bruce remained calm despite the knife in his face. "Do I know you?" he asked innocently.

"Cut the crap, Wayne. I know that you're working with the League. I know what you're doing—what you're gonna do. I'm here to stop you. I won't let you hurt Lisa."

"Lisa?" Bruce was still playing dumb. "Lisa Rippner? What's she got to do with anything?"

The blade was pressed into Bruce's neck. "She's my wife," Jackson smiled through gritted teeth.

"Oh," laughed Bruce. "So _you're_ Jackson!"

"Jackson," Joe was behind the enraged manager. "Let him go."

"No!" hissed Jackson, turning his head to glare at Joe.

Bruce seized the moment to turn the tables—and the knife—on Jackson. His own blade grazed his throat, as he looked at the man he had heard so much about in his short stay in Gotham.

"Let's get something straight, shall we? I'm not working with the League. I'm working against them and they're here. Are you with me or against me?" Bruce said to Jackson, impressing the seriousness of the situation upon him.

"With you," spat Jackson. "Now give me my knife and let's kill the bastards."

"Not so fast, Rippner," called Ra's al Ghul. "Not so fast."

"Ra's…" Bruce said simply and stiffly, removing the knife from Jackson's throat and slipping it into the manager's hand. "What do you want now?"

"We need to have a little chat—you and I. Stay here, Rippner and don't do anything stupid," ordered Ra's leading the way from the room.

Jackson glared openly at the man, but remained. Joe stayed as well. He would obey to a certain point. He was not going to risk his family, part of which were still in the mansion.

Once Ra's and the League members left the room, Jackson turned to Joe, "Go get the twins and get out. Now. I don't care where…just go."

Joe nodded and sprinted for the staircase that led to the upper level. Jackson remained behind, knife clutched tightly in his right hand. His shoulder was still sore from the bullet wound but no little pain would stop him now. He had a family to protect.

No one messed with the Rippners and got away with it.

* * *

A fire burned through the mansion and Ra's stopped to see Jackson on his way out. Bruce was nowhere in sight.

"It's a shame that you chose this path. You would have been an asset to the plan," remarked Ra's, with a hint of disdain in his voice.

"I'm going to stop you," insisted Jackson, raising his knife.

"Not when I have your family, you're not," smiled Ra's. "You know what I would do to your precious children."

Jackson's knife clattered to the floor. His face showed his emotions and his panic. This could not be happening…not again…

"Good-bye, Jackson Rippner. This time, be a good little dog and die."

Jackson did not feel the blow to his head that knocked him to the ground. He was still in shock over hearing that Ra's had his children. He was broken and unable to fight. He felt that it was hopeless to continue this never-ending battle. He was never going to be able to save his family. He was—like he had known since the red eye flight—a complete and utter failure.

It was only when the flames licked at his clothes that Jackson struggled to his feet. He grabbed the KA-BAR for reassurance and found the strength to search the mansion. The League would attempt to keep him from escaping and to keep Bruce and Joe from escaping as well. Why Bruce, he did not know. It was a piece of the puzzle that he would figure out later.

Jackson raced up the stairs and called out Joe's name, knowing that Lisa would never forgive him for letting her father die in the fire. He found him, unconscious and bleeding in the hallway. He grabbed the older man and started to drag him downstairs. Joe was not likely to survive, but Jackson was not going to let his body go up in flames.

Back on the first floor, he heard two men speaking. He rushed towards the sounds of voices, dragging Joe with him. He stumbled into the fire-engulfed room and saw Bruce lying on the floor, trapped by a fallen beam. An elderly man knelt beside him, trying to help him up.

"Get him out!" Jackson yelled at the stranger, motioning to Joe. "I'll help Bruce!"

The stranger regarded him strangely, but Bruce said, "It's okay, Alfred. Listen to him."

The man called Alfred left Bruce's side and gathered up Joe's dead weight. He left the room and Jackson helped lift the beam enough for Bruce to slide out. Jackson dropped the beam and helped the man to his feet. Bruce led the way to a piano—of all strange things—and played a few notes. A panel swung upon and Bruce raced towards it. Jackson followed and found himself in an elevator, hurtled down into a deep cave.

A bat cave…

**Author's Notes:**

Another chapter in which I changed events of the movie. Hope it worked out okay. Enjoy! Next chapter soon!


	28. Chapter Twentyseven

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-seven**

"Who—what are you?" questioned Jackson, as he took in his surroundings. Was this hidden cave Bruce's big secret? Was Bruce Wayne really…?

"Batman," answered Bruce, showing the startled manager the bat suit. "I'm Batman."

"So, all this time, you knew me, but pretended not to?"

"Guilty," smiled Bruce, trying his best to make light of the dark situation that they were currently in.

"Master Bruce!" called Alfred urgently. "He's dying!"

Jackson's face paled. Oh no, not Joe. Joe Reisert could not die. Lisa would kill him!

"Joe, hey, fight it," the manager urged as he dropped to his knees besides the injured man. Joe was regaining consciousness for a moment. His final moment, Jackson feared… "Don't die on me, Joe. Lisa…she'd never forgive me."

"Jackson, you take care of my baby, okay? You take care of Lisa and those troublesome kids. Promise me?" Joe whispered, his voice faltering.

Jackson swallowed hard and nodded his head. He was not prepared to say good-bye to Joe. He had never thought about it. He realized in those few moments that he did not want to let go. In some ways, Joe had become his father. "I promise, _dad_," Jackson whispered.

"Good, _son_," smiled Joe, bestowing a name that he had never dared call Jackson before. He had probably never even thought of Jackson as anything other than a son-in-law. "Take care of them for me. Tell them I love them, and I'm sorry I couldn't save them…"

"I'll tell them. I'll save them. I promise. And I'll destroy Jack," Jackson swore as Joe smiled one final time, before closing his eyes for good.

Half-choked sobs sounded from the 'emotionless' manager as he mourned the passing of Joseph Reisert. To think that he had once threatened to kill the kindly man, who lay dead beside him. There was a point in time when nothing would have pleased him more than to see Lisa's father dead. But not anymore. Too much had changed since the red eye flight all those years ago.

Now Joe was dead. He had died doing the one task that Jackson had always failed at—protecting his family. Joe had been protecting the twins when he received his fatal wounds. Joe had not needed to tell him that or tell him that the twins were gone, kidnapped by the League of Shadows. Jackson knew all this instinctively and Joe must have guessed that he knew.

"Time for me to go," said Bruce sadly, decked out in his Batman suit and carrying what could only be described as various weapons. "Are you coming?"

Jackson took one last look at Joe and nodded, "Yeah, I am."

He was going to stop these murderers from hurting other innocent people. One good man had already given his life and Jackson was determined to end the death toll before it climbed any higher. No one else should have to die.

* * *

When Lisa awoke, she was trapped on the monorail. Handcuffs glittered in the dimly lit, graffiti-covered car, and were securely attached to a sturdy poll on top of her seat. She was essentially confined to the red seat, which she was currently occupying.

"Hello, Leese," smirked Jonathan Crane, his glasses-covered crystal-clear blue eyes staring at her.

"What do you want?" Lisa groaned. Her head really ached… She dimly remembered Crane smashing her, headfirst, into a brick wall.

"I have a friend who wants to meet you."

"Tell him to go to hell," snapped Lisa, her handcuff-less hand rubbing her sore head.

"It's nice to finally meet you too, Mrs. Rippner. Your husband talks of nothing else," said Ra's al Ghul, as he stepped into Lisa's line of sight.

"Do you work for the company?" questioned Lisa. The only people who usually knew Jackson worked for the company.

"Oh, no," chuckled Ra's. "I don't for the company, Mrs. Rippner. I am a part of the League of Shadows and your husband has completed work for us on several occasions in the past. Sadly, he perished in a fire earlier this evening…"

No, it could not be…not Jackson. They could not have killed him. Could they? These people seemed capable of anything. If they said Jackson was dead, then he was dead. Why would they lie to her?

"You…_bastard_!" screamed Lisa, straining against her handcuff to reach him. "How dare you kill him? How dare you kill Jackson!"

"Easy now, Mrs. Rippner. I would hate to have to harm your beautiful children," Ra's said, holding a frightened Henrietta by the shoulder.

Lisa's mouth gaped open for a moment as her eyes flicked from her daughter to their mutual captor. This man held all the cards in this deadly game and with Jackson dead; she was on her own. She alone had to save her family.

"Please," she begged, her green eyes beginning to tear. "Let her go. I'll do whatever you want…just let my children go. You've already taken Jackson from me…would you take my children too? Please…"

"You will join the League, or I will be forced to harm them," insisted Ra's al Ghul, pleased with how easily this was coming along. Lisa Rippner was supposedly hard to deal with and so was Jackson Rippner. But when you threatened their children, they were rather obedient dogs. Normally, he would not threaten the lives of children, but the Rippner twins were an exception. They could be a major threat later on in life. They were not ordinary children because of their parents.

"I'll join, just let them go," Lisa pleaded again. She would not stoop to begging for her own life. All that mattered was her children.

Ra's released Henrietta, who rushed to Lisa's side and someone released JR. JR ran to join his mother and sister, all hatred temporarily forgotten.

"Mommy!" cried the twins, hugging Lisa tightly.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," she whispered, trying to reassure them.

"Lisa," Jonathan was back, after having a brief chat with Ra's. "I'm sorry about Jackson. He was my brother…"

"You tried to kill him!" raged Lisa.

"Not me," he said, shaking his head as he pulled out a burlap mask and slipped it on. "Scarecrow."

Lisa's breath seized in her throat. His toxin no longer affected her, but her memories could still instill fear. She associated the mask with her memories and the confusion between Jackson and Crane.

"Crane, stop playing around and free the bitch already," ordered a nameless, faceless man.

Crane ripped the mask off and scowled. "As you wish," he muttered and unlocked Lisa's handcuff.

In a sudden force driven by anger and hatred, Lisa grabbed Jonathan's wrist and secured the handcuff around it. Jonathan dropped the key and she scooped it up, before ushering her children ahead of her. Jonathan yelled at her retreating back as she moved into the main part of the car, but he was now helpless.

"Why does that man look like daddy?" asked JR, staring curiously at Jonathan.

"Because that's daddy's twin brother," Lisa explained, keeping her children close to her.

"Is he a bad man, mommy?" questioned Henrietta.

"Yes, daddy's brother is a bad man. Daddy's a good man."

"What happened to daddy?" JR questioned. "Where is he?"

Lisa starting crying as she bent down to face both her children. They looked so much like Jackson that it hurt to look at them. The reality that she would never again see Jackson was beginning to dawn upon her. And it was a harsh, pain-filled, reality.

"Daddy's not coming back," she whispered.

"Did he go away on a trip?" Henrietta's chipper voice asked.

"No, sweetie, not a trip. Daddy's not coming back, because…" Lisa could not bring herself to say it. To speak it to her children would mean that she had lost all hope. It would mean that Jackson was truly dead and never coming back. It would be final.

"He's already here," whispered a familiar voice that she had only ever heard in dreams these past few days.

Lisa nearly fainted, but Jackson's steady arm grabbed he, keeping her from falling. At least until JR and Henrietta tackled him and Lisa in a hug. All four Rippners fell to the dirty floor, but none of them cared. For the first time, in a long time, they were together again.

But their reunion was cut short as a released Jonathan Crane sprayed the group with his toxin. All four of them choked and gagged on the gas, yet only one of them was changed. Only Jackson was affected by the fear toxin.

And in his right hand was a shining blade…

**Author's Notes:**

I'm working on finishing up this story. It'll be done by February 1st. Thirty chapters and maybe an epilogue too. We'll see. Enjoy!


	29. Chapter Twentyeight

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-eight**

Fear. It was surrounding him, choking him. It clouded his mind and Jack was boiling to the surface. It was only a matter of time before he lost and his greatest fear was realized. It was only a matter of time until Jack killed Lisa, Henrietta, and JR.

"Fight it. Fight it, Jackson!" Lisa was crying urgently, fear in her eyes. She was afraid of him.

"Give in to your fear…" hissed Crane, or was it Scarecrow? His twin brother was once again wearing that horrid mask. The mask of a madman.

'Yes, give up, Jackson. Give up…you're going to lose and you know it…' Jack was speaking again.

"No, not again. Never again," cried Jackson, shaking his head. He would not give in no matter what.

'GIVE IN!' screamed Jack, who was too being bombarded by fear. He feared losing his control over Jackson and being forced to leave.

A memory wandered unbidden into his mind. Jackson had to face his past in order to face his fear and beat Jack for good.

_"Jack? Is that you?" called a soft, sweet voice. His mother._

_"I'm Jackson," he snapped, twirling the smooth knife in his fingers. "I was never 'Jack'."_

_Fear and panic was unmistakable upon her face. "Jackson… what are you doing? Jackson!"_

_Jackson struck with the knife, remembering everything that Roberts had taught him and trying his best to remain calm and cool. No emotions were allowed in his new job. Emotions made people weak. Jackson Rippner was not weak. Jack Rippner was._

_Once the job was finished, he slipped the blood-covered knife back into its sheath and strode out of the house. As he headed down the street, he pressed a small detonator in his suit jacket pocket, and the house exploded._

Jackson started to panic. No, this could not be happening again. He was not murdering his parents again. It was only a memory.

_"Welcome, Mr. Rippner," called Ra's al Ghul, smiling as Jackson entered the hall. His other name was Henri Ducard, but Jackson knew that he was to address him as Ra's, and only Ra's. It was a show of respect._

_"Hello again, Ra's," Jackson called. He had not been happy to trudge up the mountain to seek the leader of the League of Shadows. _

_"As Johnson may have told you, I have a job for you. How are you with fires?"_

_Jackson's face lit up and he barely noticed the people training around him, including the man that he would face several years later in Gotham. _

Jackson's panic was subsiding, for a moment. The memory of the second meeting with Ra's was not nearly as painful as some of his other memories.

_"Is Jack coming back?" Lisa asked him quietly after a brief anger-flare up had occurred. Luckily, Henrietta and JR were taking a nap and had not been disturbed._

_His blue eyes changed the softness and warmth being replaced with coldness and hatred. He grabbed Lisa by the throat and pressed her into a wall. "What do you think, Leese?" he hissed in a voice unlike his own. Jack was creeping back._

_Lisa head-butted him, sending him stumbling to the floor._

No, he would not hurt Lisa; he would not hurt her. Never again.

"Jackson!" her voice called in a strangled panic. "Jackson!"

Jackson was back in the real world, unencumbered by his memories. He was still surrounded by fear and Jack was trying to break into his control. He grasped Lisa's throat in a chokehold with his left hand and held the knife just below her throat.

_"He held a knife to my throat…" Lisa whispered, telling her story to Jackson aboard the red eye flight._

No, he would not hurt her. He loved Lisa.

'Give in and I'll let you say good-bye…' taunted Jack.

"No, you give in. I created you, and I want you gone! Flee!" Jackson ordered, though he knew that Jack was not likely to give in.

'I'm not leaving!'

"Go bother someone else! Leave me alone!"

'Like who? Lisa?'

"No, not her! Crane—bother him!"

Jackson's emotions were building up and taking over. He was losing it; he was about to lose control. A few more minutes and all would be lost.

Warm arms encircled him and he felt Lisa hugging him tightly, trying to remind him of what was real. His heart jumped into his throat as Jack assailed his mind once more. He had to stay strong.

"I love you, Jackson," Lisa whispered in his ear.

'Love? What is love but weakness?' Jack spat.

Jackson felt rage burning inside him. Rage at Jack. He was going to chase Jack away. Jack was going to lose. Jack had to lose.

"I love you too, Leese," Jackson responded, kissing Lisa passionately, using the love he felt for her to mix with the rage to purge himself of Jack.

Jack screamed. He could not stand it. The emotions were too much for him.

Lisa was kissing him back now. All he could feel at the moment was his overwhelming love for her.

Jack suddenly stopped.

Jackson broke the kiss, breathing heavily as he realized that he had finally done it. He had faced his fears and destroyed Jack. As suddenly as Jack had entered his life, he had disappeared. Jackson was free from Jack…for good.

"Jackson?" Lisa questioned, looking at him strangely.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Is he—Jack—is he gone?" Lisa must have noticed the change.

"Yes, Leese, he's gone," Jackson smiled.

"I hate to break up the reunion, but you and I have some unfinished business," hissed Crane, still wearing that horrid mask.

"How about a taste of your own medicine, brother?" Jackson asked with a sneer as he sprayed Jonathan in the face with the toxin.

Jonathan gagged and he began to lose his grip on reality as well. It had been a long time since he had been gassed by his own creation—on accident of course—and since then the Scarecrow had grown stronger. Mental illness ran in the family, and only Jackson was free of his demons.

"Lisa, get Henrietta and JR and get off this train!" ordered Jackson, glancing back at his family for a brief moment. "I'll deal with Crane!"

"Come on," Lisa told the twins, leading them towards the end of the car. The monorail was slowing, and when it stopped for a brief moment, she led them off the car. She was worried and it showed. But there was nothing that he could do, except get them out of harm's way.

Now, to deal with Crane…

**Author's Notes:**

Here's to hoping that this chapter works out okay! Fingers crossed! Only two more chapters to go! Enjoy!


	30. Chapter Twentynine

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Twenty-nine**

The monorail had slowed due to the arrival of the Batman. He had burst through the windshield in order to fight Ra's al Ghul. Ra's and the Batman were fighting in the front of the car, whilst Batman tried to sabotage the monorail and stop it from reaching Wayne Tower and the central water mains.

Jackson was farther back in the car, fighting with the Scarecrow. He had found his knife upon the floor and picked it up. Jackson expertly twirled the blade, trying to keep Jonathan at bay. He was no longer a killer and despite what Jonathan had done; Jackson did not want to kill his brother. He would be giving the psychiatrist the easy way out if he did not hand him over to the cop known as Gordon.

"You can't stop it now," muttered the Scarecrow. "It's too late. Fear will reign…"

"Not if I can stop you," hissed Jackson, his brilliant blue eyes flashing. He alone was responsible for his brother. "I _will_ stop you."

Scarecrow laughed and released a puff of gas. Jackson coughed. The fear tried to grip him. Lisa had not managed to get him the antidote. Crane had found the antidote when he had captured her and destroyed it.

"Get off the monorail!" warned the Batman, as Ra's pinned him to the floor of the car during their battle.

Jackson seized the moment to head-butt the Scarecrow. He yanked his limp brother to the end of the monorail car and jumped down onto the tracks below. The fall rattled them both, but there was no doubt in Jackson's mind that there was a good reason why he had just jumped off the speeding monorail.

* * *

_"You will never learn," Ra's said, unsheathing his sword after the Batman came through the windshield of the train._

Batman avoided his blows, leaning back, ducking, and blocking, as he tried to fiddle with controls. He managed to slow the monorail for a short amount of time. Hopefully, that would be enough time for Jackson to get his family off the monorail.

Ra's continued to attack him. The Batman kicked him, and then tackled him over the microwave emitter. The monorail sped up again. Every so often, he could catch a glimpse of Jackson and Crane fighting further along in the car. There was no sign of Lisa Rippner, or their children.

Now Ra's was trying to crash him into windows, hoping to throw him from the speeding monorail. If he had not been wearing the improved cowl, his head would have been hurt rather badly. Good thing this one was still holding up and protecting his head.

The end of the line was drawing near. Soon, they would reach Wayne Tower and he was banking on Gordon managing to destroy the track. There was no way that he would be able to stop the monorail.

Batman retaliated; punching, kicking, and pretty much beating the crap out of his former teacher. To think that he had once saved this man's life…

Ra's was drawing even. He managed to land a few blows, knocking the exhausted Batman to the ground. But he jumped back up and continued sparring with Ra's. They each got a few punches in before Ra's turned the tables on him again. Ra's kicked him until he fell back onto the dirty floor of the monorail.

_"Don't be afraid, Bruce," Ra's told him as he gasped for air. Ra's was trying to kill him. "You were just an ordinary man…a man in a cape. That's why you couldn't fight injustice and that's why you can't stop this train."_

_"Who said anything about stopping it?" Batman said, and Ra's looked up, giving him the distraction that he needed to beat Ra's._

"Get off the monorail!" the Batman shouted back to Jackson.

_The monorail track was disappeared ahead, clattering uselessly to the concrete. Gordon had prevailed over the track with help from the Tumbler's weapons.The Batman pinned Ra's down and said, "You never learned to mind your surroundings."_

_He was poised, with a batarang in hand, over Ra's, prepared to kill him."Have you finally learned to do what is necessary?" Ra's questioned him._

_"I won't kill you," the Batman said, tossing the batarang away. "…but I don't have to save you."_

He released Ra's al Ghul and flew out of the monorail as it crashed downwards, thanks to Gordon's help via the Tumbler. The monorail car, carrying the microwave transmitter, sped into a parking garage and exploded.

"You okay?" Batman asked, after he landed beside Jackson and the unconscious Jonathan.

"Yeah, we're alive," Jackson nodded, looking at Jonathan's limp body. He carefully removed the Scarecrow mask and the fear gas canister from Crane's arm. He handed the canister to the Batman. No one else should have access to Crane's madness.

"Want me to take Crane to Gordon?" the Batman offered.

"Yeah," Jackson said wearily. He was far too exhausted to carry his brother down to the waiting cop. Gordon was probably the last 'good' cop left on Gotham's police force.

"You going to be okay?"

"I'm just going to get back to Lisa…and tell her what happened," Jackson said sadly. He still had to break the news of Joe's death to her.

"I understand," nodded the Batman. "Go to your family. They need you."

"Thank you," Jackson said gratefully, as he began to walk along the tracks, back towards where Lisa had exited. "Thank you for everything."

But the Batman was already gone when he turned around.

* * *

"Jackson! Jackson!" cried Lisa racing down the tracks towards him, Henrietta and JR shuffling along behind her.

Jackson's face broke into a wide smile as she reached him. He wrapped his arms around his wife, and lifted her off the ground and twirled her in a circle as he kissed her. Lisa clung to him desperately, and he knew that she had missed him just as much as he had missed her.

"I love you, Leese," he declared after their kiss ended and Henrietta and JR caught up to them.

"I always loved you, Jackson," she smiled. "And I always will."

"Daddy!" cried JR, flinging himself at his parents. Jackson laughed as he hugged his son. Henrietta hung back a little ways, staying close to Lisa at all times.

"Hey," Jackson said quietly, bending down to be closer to Henrietta. "'Etta, I'm sorry I scared you. I never meant to hurt mommy. I promise that I'll never hurt her again, or scare you."

"You do?" Henrietta questioned, her blue eyes wide. "You promise?"

"I promise," Jackson agreed, nodding his head.

Henrietta smiled and gave him a hug. She knew very well that Jackson never broke his promises. Everyone who knew him slightly well knew that he was incapable of lying, unless he had a good reason or what he believed was the truth was really a lie.

Jackson was so happy to be with his family again. At the moment there was no one after him, but he still had a score to settle with the company. The League of Shadows was not a threat, even though they had sent his own brother after him. Ra's al Ghul was dead—the Batman had seen to that.

"Jackson, where's my dad?" Lisa asked him, green eyes questioning.

Jackson felt his face pale. How could he tell her what he had witnessed? How could he explain to her…?

"He's dead, isn't he?" cried Lisa, tears filling her eyes. "My dad's dead?"

"I'm so sorry, Leese. I tried to save him," Jackson whispered, pulling her close to him. Her fists gripped his suit jacket tightly as she sobbed on him.

"No…no…" Harsh sobs wracked her body, making her tremble. Jackson tried to soothe her, but there was not much he could do. Lisa had been under enormous emotion stress and trauma these last few weeks. She had been dealing with more than any one person ever should have to deal with.

"I'm so sorry…"

**Author's Notes:**

Only one more chapter and an epilogue to go. It should all be up tomorrow. Enjoy! (Edit: (2/9/06) I added the fight scene between Ra's and Batman.)


	31. Chapter Thirty

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Batman Begins_!

**Chapter Thirty**

Jonathan Crane sat alone in his 'cell' at Arkham Asylum, reflecting on the past. He was in a straightjacket and confined to a chair. Not that he minded, yet it was rather strange for the psychiatrist to be housed in his own facility.

Yes, the nut had indeed taken over the nuthouse. But now that same nut was no more powerful than anyone of the nuts he had treated during his tenure at the infamous Asylum. The Batman had seen it that himself.

With the help of his twin brother, the former assassination manager, Jackson Rippner, that was. His spoiled older brother…. Yes, Jackson had been the lucky one, according to Ra's al Ghul. He had two parents who loved him and the 'perfect' childhood. Yet he had thrown it all away one day and took the lives of their parents, who Jonathan had never met, and joined forces with their half-brother Roberts and the company. Jackson had it all and he never knew how hard life could be. Surely, Jackson had never dealt with bullies.

Jonathan sighed. He had managed to save some of his sanity from the Scarecrow's reign of terror. How ironic that he would have taken on the persona of the very name that he had been taunted and teased with since he was a little kid…

Jonathan had been mental ill, just like Jackson and Roberts. It was a family trait. It must have come from their mother. She was one commonality in all of their lives.

That had not stopped her from abandoning Jonathan and Roberts and keeping only Jackson. Jackson was the family favorite and Jonathan hated it. Jackson even had his own perfect little family—a wife and two children.

The bond between Lisa and Jackson Rippner was nothing short of extraordinary to his mind. He had once been in love, but he doubted that it would have ever been as strong as his brother's and sister-in-law's was. Even if she had not died.

A simple car accident had stolen her and instilled fear into the fearless Dr. Jonathan Crane. They had been forced off a country road and into a pit of quicksand. It was dark and tar-like, and it tried to suck him down into its endless depths. But Jonathan had managed to escape, beginning the closest to the edge. But alas, his love had not been so fortunate. When he turned to help her, she was already gone, sucked along with the car, into the ground.

Jonathan had snapped that day and slowly morphed into what he was in this present day and age. A so-called 'monster' who loved fear. He respected fear and its power.

"Hello, Jonathan," called a stiff, uncomfortable voice, causing Jonathan to stop his musings for the time being. There would be plenty of time to think later.

"Well, well, what an unpleasant surprise…" sneered Jonathan, catching sight of his identical twin brother and his family. Lisa stood at Jackson's side, one arm wrapped around his waist and he had one arm wrapped around hers. Henrietta stood beside Lisa, holding her hand tightly, while JR stood on the other side, holding onto Jackson's hand. All four Rippners were dressed in black.

"You're lucky that you're even alive," snapped Jackson, his hatred and disgust showing. Neither of them knew what had come over them that day. Another other time and they would have eagerly ripped each other's throats out. Yet, they had not.

"Oh, lucky me."

Lisa intervened, sensing the thick tension in the room. "I thought the twins should have a chance to meet their Uncle Jonathan."

Jonathan snorted. How absurd. The miniature look-a-likes of him and his brother would be better off without knowing him. Hell, everyone would have.

"I'd hug you, but I can't," Jonathan said, glaring at the twins before looking at his straightjacket. Not that he would have hugged them anyways. Emotionlessness ran in the family as well. Jonathan had shut down all of his emotions years ago.

"Gordon says that you will be going to trial soon," remarked Lisa, trying to make conversation. She had known that it would be best if they all meet once more before the Rippners returned to Miami for Joe's funeral. After the funeral, they would stay at Joe's house for a time, but neither of them had planned what would happen afterwards. The company would still be looking for them.

"Yeah, and then its back here," muttered Jonathan, taking in the bleak room that he occupied.

"Don't be so sure. If you show the judge and jury that you're not entirely evil…"

"Then I'll get out for good behavior, right, Leese? I'm not Jackson—I don't change sides like someone people change clothes."

Lisa's green eyes narrowed. She would never forgive him for what he had done to her, but she hoped and believed that deep inside him was a decent person, just like Jackson had been. But, she was wrong. Jonathan Crane was deranged—he had been driven mad long before the fear toxin that he had created had invaded his mind.

"Let's go," Jackson whispered to Lisa, who nodded. They had seen enough.

The Rippners left without another word and headed to the airport to catch their flight out to Miami. Alfred drove them to the airport and they said good-bye to Alfred, Rachel, and Bruce. They thanked them for everything, especially Bruce, before stepping through the gate. They were headed back to what reminded of their shattered lives.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Crane sat back at Arkham Asylum, in his little room, and laughed. For a long time, with his voice echoing in his empty room. He did not know why he laughed, but he did not care.

**Author's Notes:**

Just a quick epilogue left and this story's done with! I'll probably go back and tweak some of the chapters later, add stuff and fix mistakes (such as extending the action in the last chapter). If you'd like me to let you know by e-mail or PM when I've changed a chapter, please leave a note in your review. Enjoy!


	32. Epilogue

**Always Look Forward**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Epilogue**

Jackson only left his reunited family once, after Joe's funeral. Lisa remained behind in Miami, while he went away for a quick trip to 'take care of business'.

When he returned, he was wounded, and Lisa was left to clean him up and dress his wounds. She did not ask where or how had he acquired these wounds, she just accepted them as part of Jackson's business. He did not offer anymore information besides saying, "This business is finished. We're safe."

Lisa knew in her heart that they were far from finished and being safe, but she nodded anyways. She wanted, with her whole heart, to believe that this was true. But she knew that they would never be truly finished. It was part of their life, and one day, when their children were older; they would know why Lisa and Jackson acted so strangely and the truth about what had happened in the past few weeks. But not yet.

The Rippners were far from normal, but they liked it that way. It was the only way that Lisa and Jackson had managed to stay together and keep their love strong. If they were any other so-called 'normal' family, Lisa and Jackson either would have split up or one of them would have killed the other.

"Always look forward, right, Jackson?" Lisa asked him later that night as they lay together in their bed, hands entwined and Lisa's head lying on Jackson's chest. One of Jackson's hands was playing with her curly hair—he loved those curls.

"That's right, Leese. What's in the past, is the past. We have a whole future to look forward to—together," he smiled, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. Lisa regarded him warily, but she still misread him and ended up being tickle-torture mercilessly.

At that moment, everything was right in the strange world that belonged to them and them alone. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

**Author's Notes:**

It's done! I hope everyone enjoyed it, and the rest of their lives is up to you to imagine. I don't think I'm going to make a sequel to the sequel, because I don't want to ruin the story. I'm ending it here, before I mess it up and make it trashy.


End file.
